Gingrich Outlines Trump’s ‘Sandwich’ Strategy for the 2024 Election

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says the GOP primary is over, urging a ’sandwich' strategy for the Trump campaign in the long general election campaign ahead

Newt Gingrich, former US Speaker of the House attends "Free Iran 2018 - the Alternative" event organized by exiled Iranian opposition group on June 30, 2018 in Villepinte, north of Paris. (Photo by Zakaria ABDELKAFI / AFP) Photo by ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP via Getty Images

A recent op-ed penned by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich delves into what he says ought to be former President Donald Trump’s strategic approach for the upcoming 2024 election—a tactic he dubs the “sandwich” strategy.

This unique approach, as outlined by Mr. Gingrich, is motivated in part by President Trump’s recent victories in Iowa and New Hampshire. He says the outcome basically means the 2024 primary season is over and America is “now living through the longest general election campaign in history.”

“No one has ever tried to have a national conversation for 286 days before an election,” Mr. Gingrich writes, noting that this poses some unique challenges to President Trump’s campaign.

A drawn-out primary that would have provided fodder for media coverage is now absent. When combined with a national audience with a high capacity for boredom, Mr. Gingrich argues that this means the news establishment has fallen into a “state of shock” and is desperate for news hooks that will draw in an audience.

This means “there will be constant pressure to find something negative with which to attack and undermine the Trump campaign in particular—and Republicans in general.”

Sign announces CNN's Republican presidential primary debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 10, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

In order to counter what Mr. Gingrich predicts will be an effort by some media outlets to bombard Americans with negative Trump coverage, the former speaker recommends a “simple model to follow that will create a trap in which to capture the Biden record.”

“Essentially, it’s a sandwich,” he says.

The ‘Sandwich’ Strategy

One great advantage of the nomination campaign being all but finished is the fact that President Trump and his team will now have time to develop positive themes, Mr. Gingrich argues, setting the stage for the “sandwich” strategy.

For the bottom piece of bread, Mr. Gingrich suggests the former president’s campaign revisit the achievements of President Trump’s first term in office.

Drawing on the unique position of having been commander-in-chief, President Trump can articulate his accomplishments, such as fostering economic growth, achieving energy independence, controlling inflation, securing borders, supporting law enforcement, and effectively managing international relations.

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald J. Trump speaks at a rally in Manchester, N.H., on Jan. 20, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu /The Epoch Times

Mr. Gingrich emphasizes that this layer sets the foundation for President Trump’s credibility in the eyes of voters by showcasing tangible successes during his tenure.

The middle layer of the sandwich, according to the former speaker, is where the Trump campaign can draw a sharp contrast between President Trump’s achievements and President Joe Biden’s perceived failures.

Mr. Gingrich points to numerous public opinion polls showing that a majority of Americans believe President Trump’s past policies were more effective than President Biden’s current approach. The former speaker argues that this layer serves as a critical point for the Trump campaign to highlight policy differences and the perceived shortcomings of the current administration.

The Top Slice

Finally, the top slice of bread focuses on projecting a positive future for America under President Trump’s leadership.

Mr. Gingrich encourages Republicans and the former president to outline a vision that includes improving Americans’ standard of living, addressing issues like illegal immigration, drugs, and crime, reforming the education system, strengthening the military, and fostering breakthroughs in areas like artificial intelligence, health care, and space exploration.

This optimistic layer aims to inspire voters with a vision of a brighter future under a second Trump term.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump during a campaign stop in Rochester, N.H., on Jan. 21, 2024. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

Ideally, Mr. Gingrich suggests that each layer of the “sandwich” strategy should receive roughly equal time and focus during the campaign.

The former speaker believes that by strategically balancing President Trump’s past success, contrasting it with Biden’s perceived failures, and projecting a positive future, the campaign could appeal to those who may not have engaged with or supported Republicans in the past.

“This is going to be an extraordinary campaign,” Mr. Gingrich predicted while calling the political movement that President Trump leads “unlike anything we have seen in modern times.”

‘Clear’ Trump Will Be GOP Nominee

It’s not just Mr. Gingrich who believes the Republican primary is basically over—President Biden has conceded that, too.

“It is now clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee,” President Biden said in a message to voters on Tuesday, after President Trump secured a win in the Republican primary in New Hampshire.

President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at Montgomery County Community College, in Blue Bell, Pa., on Jan. 5, 2024. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Michael Tyler, President Biden’s campaign communication manager, had a similar message, telling reporters that “we’re just looking at the reality of the data in front of us.”

“Now, coming off of Iowa and New Hampshire, you have Donald Trump who’s fully consolidated the extreme MAGA [Make America Great Again] base of the party and is marching towards the nomination,” he added.

Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement that the incumbent is ready for the fight.

“Donald Trump is headed straight into a general election matchup where he'll face the only person to have ever beaten him at the ballot box: Joe Biden,” she said.

As of Thursday afternoon, with 99 percent of districts reporting, President Trump garnered around 54.3 percent of GOP primary voters in New Hampshire, per The Associated Press. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley received 43.2 percent.

The result is historic. President Trump received a larger share of the state’s primary vote than any past Republican presidential candidate. Former President Ronald Reagan—the only other non-incumbent Republican to get a a majority of GOP primary votes in New Hampshire—got about 50.2 percent of the primary vote in the Granite State.

Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley delivers remarks at her primary night rally at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, N.H., on Jan. 23, 2024. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The next competitive contest is scheduled for Feb. 24 in South Carolina, where Ms. Haley served two terms as governor. However, despite her ties to the state, President Trump has received endorsements from most of the state’s Republican figures, with calls building for Ms. Haley to leave the race and unify around the former president.

President Biden’s strategy appears focused on trying to win over independent voters, while seeking to label President Trump and his supporters as extremists and accusing them of being anti-democratic.