reported speech exercise online

English Grammar Online Exercises and Downloadable Worksheets

Online exercises.

• Reported Speech

Levels of Difficulty : Elementary Intermediate Advanced

• RS012 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• RS011 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• RS010 - Reporting Verbs Advanced
• RS009 - Reporting Verbs Advanced
• RS008 - Reporting Verbs Advanced
• RS007 - Reporting Verbs Intermediate
• RS006 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• RS005 - Reported Speech - Introductory Verbs Advanced
• RS004 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• RS003 - Reporting Verbs Intermediate
• RS002 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• RS001 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• Gerund - Infinitive
• Adjective - Adverb
• Modal Verbs
• Passive Voice
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Prepositions
• Connectives and Linking Words
• Quantifiers
• Question and Negations
• Relative Pronouns
• Indefinite Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns
• Phrasal Verbs
• Common Mistakes
• Missing Word Cloze
• Word Formation
• Multiple Choice Cloze
• Prefixes and Suffixes
• Key Word Transformation
• Editing - One Word Too Many
• Collocations
• General Vocabulary
• Adjectives - Adverbs
• Gerund and Infinitive
• Conjunctions and Linking Words
• Question and Negation
• Error Analysis
• Translation Sentences
• Multiple Choice
• Banked Gap Fill
• Open Gap Fill
• General Vocabulary Exercises
• Argumentative Essays
• Letters and Emails
• English News Articles
• Privacy Policy

Reported Speech – Free Exercise

Write the following sentences in indirect speech. Pay attention to backshift and the changes to pronouns, time, and place.

• Two weeks ago, he said, “I visited this museum last week.” → Two weeks ago, he said that   . I → he|simple past → past perfect|this → that|last …→ the … before
• She claimed, “I am the best for this job.” → She claimed that   . I → she|simple present→ simple past|this→ that
• Last year, the minister said, “The crisis will be overcome next year.” → Last year, the minister said that   . will → would|next …→ the following …
• My riding teacher said, “Nobody has ever fallen off a horse here.” → My riding teacher said that   . present perfect → past perfect|here→ there
• Last month, the boss explained, “None of my co-workers has to work overtime now.” → Last month, the boss explained that   . my → his/her|simple present→ simple past|now→ then

Rewrite the question sentences in indirect speech.

• She asked, “What did he say?” → She asked   . The subject comes directly after the question word.|simple past → past perfect
• He asked her, “Do you want to dance?” → He asked her   . The subject comes directly after whether/if |you → she|simple present → simple past
• I asked him, “How old are you?” → I asked him   . The subject comes directly after the question word + the corresponding adjective (how old)|you→ he|simple present → simple past
• The tourists asked me, “Can you show us the way?” → The tourists asked me   . The subject comes directly after whether/if |you→ I|us→ them
• The shop assistant asked the woman, “Which jacket have you already tried on?” → The shop assistant asked the woman   . The subject comes directly after the question word|you→ she|present perfect → past perfect

Rewrite the demands/requests in indirect speech.

• The passenger requested the taxi driver, “Stop the car.” → The passenger requested the taxi driver   . to + same wording as in direct speech
• The mother told her son, “Don’t be so loud.” → The mother told her son   . not to + same wording as in direct speech, but remove don’t
• The policeman told us, “Please keep moving.” → The policeman told us   . to + same wording as in direct speech ( please can be left off)
• She told me, “Don’t worry.” → She told me   . not to + same wording as in direct speech, but remove don’t
• The zookeeper told the children, “Don’t feed the animals.” → The zookeeper told the children   . not to + same wording as in direct speech, but remove don’t

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Reported Speech Quiz

You can do this grammar quiz online or print it on paper. It tests what you learned on the Reported Speech pages.

1. Which is a reporting verb?

2. He said that it was cold outside. Which word is optional?

3. "I bought a car last week." Last week he said he had bought a car

4. "Where is it?" said Mary. She

5. Which of these is usually required with reported YES/NO questions?

6. Ram asked me where I worked. His original words were

7. "Don't yell!" is a

8. "Please wipe your feet." I asked them to wipe

9. She always asks me not to burn the cookies. She always says

10. Which structure is not used for reported orders?

Your score is:

Correct answers:

Reported speech exercises

Mixed exercises to practise reported, or indirect speech.

Intermediate level

Multiple choice

Reported statements, questions, imperative mood

Filling gaps

Backshift of tenses in reported speech

Try our “total recall” course.

Reported speech is a specific issue in English grammar. There are special rules on how to transfer statements, questions and demands from direct to indirect speech. These exercises are composed for revision and systematization of your knowledge on reported speech. We recommend to do them after you have studied all smaller topics related to reported speech. The links to the explanations and exercises are below.

Related topics

He said he'd come — Reported statements

I asked her where she lived — Reported questions

I told him to stop — Reported requests & orders

Past simple

I was doing — Past continuous

I had done — How to form past perfect

I had been doing — How to form past perfect continuous

Top 10 topics

Irregular verbs

Conditionals (If I knew, I'd tell you)

Get on, turn up... — Phrasal verbs

Modal verbs (can, must, should etc.)

Present perfect vs. Past simple

Present simple and continuous for the future, to be going to

Passive voice (I was told)

At 2 o'clock on Sunday — Prepositions of time

Exercise on Reported Speech

Mixed exercise 1.

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note whether the sentence is a request, a statement or a question.

• He said, "I like this song." → He said
• "Where is your sister?" she asked me. → She asked me
• "I don't speak Italian," she said. → She said
• "Say hello to Jim," they said. → They asked me
• "The film began at seven o'clock," he said. → He said
• "Don't play on the grass, boys," she said. → She told the boys
• "Where have you spent your money?" she asked him. → She asked him
• "I never make mistakes," he said. → He said
• "Does she know Robert?" he wanted to know. → He wanted to know
• "Don't try this at home," the stuntman told the audience. → The stuntman advised the audience

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• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech

Daisy has just had an interview for a summer job. 

Instructions

As you watch the video, look at the examples of reported speech. They are in  red  in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, reported speech correctly.

Sophie:  Mmm, it’s so nice to be chilling out at home after all that running around.

Ollie: Oh, yeah, travelling to glamorous places for a living must be such a drag!

Ollie: Mum, you can be so childish sometimes. Hey, I wonder how Daisy’s getting on in her job interview.

Sophie: Oh, yes, she said she was having it at four o’clock, so it’ll have finished by now. That’ll be her ... yes. Hi, love. How did it go?

Daisy: Well, good I think, but I don’t really know. They said they’d phone later and let me know.

Sophie: What kind of thing did they ask you?

Daisy: They asked if I had any experience with people, so I told them about helping at the school fair and visiting old people at the home, that sort of stuff. But I think they meant work experience.

Sophie: I’m sure what you said was impressive. They can’t expect you to have had much work experience at your age.

Daisy:  And then they asked me what acting I had done, so I told them that I’d had a main part in the school play, and I showed them a bit of the video, so that was cool.

Sophie:  Great!

Daisy: Oh, and they also asked if I spoke any foreign languages.

Sophie: Languages?

Daisy: Yeah, because I might have to talk to tourists, you know.

Sophie: Oh, right, of course.

Daisy: So that was it really. They showed me the costume I’ll be wearing if I get the job. Sending it over ...

Ollie: Hey, sis, I heard that Brad Pitt started out as a giant chicken too! This could be your big break!

Daisy: Ha, ha, very funny.

Sophie: Take no notice, darling. I’m sure you’ll be a marvellous chicken.

We use reported speech when we want to tell someone what someone said. We usually use a reporting verb (e.g. say, tell, ask, etc.) and then change the tense of what was actually said in direct speech.

So, direct speech is what someone actually says? Like 'I want to know about reported speech'?

Yes, and you report it with a reporting verb.

He said he wanted to know about reported speech.

I said, I want and you changed it to he wanted .

Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could ; will changes to would ; etc.

She said she was having the interview at four o’clock. (Direct speech: ' I’m having the interview at four o’clock.') They said they’d phone later and let me know. (Direct speech: ' We’ll phone later and let you know.')

OK, in that last example, you changed you to me too.

Yes, apart from changing the tense of the verb, you also have to think about changing other things, like pronouns and adverbs of time and place.

'We went yesterday.'  > She said they had been the day before. 'I’ll come tomorrow.' >  He said he’d come the next day.

I see, but what if you’re reporting something on the same day, like 'We went yesterday'?

Well, then you would leave the time reference as 'yesterday'. You have to use your common sense. For example, if someone is saying something which is true now or always, you wouldn’t change the tense.

'Dogs can’t eat chocolate.' > She said that dogs can’t eat chocolate. 'My hair grows really slowly.' >  He told me that his hair grows really slowly.

What about reporting questions?

We often use ask + if/whether , then change the tenses as with statements. In reported questions we don’t use question forms after the reporting verb.

'Do you have any experience working with people?' They asked if I had any experience working with people. 'What acting have you done?' They asked me what acting I had done .

Is there anything else I need to know about reported speech?

One thing that sometimes causes problems is imperative sentences.

You mean like 'Sit down, please' or 'Don’t go!'?

Exactly. Sentences that start with a verb in direct speech need a to + infinitive in reported speech.

She told him to be good. (Direct speech: 'Be good!') He told them not to forget. (Direct speech: 'Please don’t forget.')

OK. Can I also say 'He asked me to sit down'?

Yes. You could say 'He told me to …' or 'He asked me to …' depending on how it was said.

OK, I see. Are there any more reporting verbs?

Yes, there are lots of other reporting verbs like promise , remind , warn , advise , recommend , encourage which you can choose, depending on the situation. But say , tell and ask are the most common.

Great. I understand! My teacher said reported speech was difficult.

And I told you not to worry!

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Reported speech - 1

Reported speech - 2

Reported speech - 3

Worksheets - handouts

Exercises: indirect speech

• Reported speech - present
• Reported speech - past
• Reported speech - questions
• Reported questions - write
• Reported speech - imperatives
• Reported speech - modals
• Indirect speech - tenses 1
• Indirect speech - tenses 2
• Indirect speech - write 1
• Indirect speech - write 2
• Indirect speech - quiz
• Reported speech - tenses
• Indirect speech – reported speech
• Reported speech – indirect speech

• Reported Speech — Mixed
• 1. Harry, “I will buy some milk on my way home.” Harry said that . he would buy some milk on his way home
• 2. Sue, “How many books have you read?” Sue asked me . how many books I had read
• 3. Sara, “Can I go to the cinema with you?” Sara asked me . if she could go to the cinema with me
• 4. Fred, “Don't be so rude.” Fred told me . not to be so rude
• 5. Lilly, “Meet me at the station.” Lilly told me . to meet her at the station
• 6. Mark, “I am looking for my phone.” Mark said that . he was looking for his phone
• 7. Paula, “You should start your own business.” Paula told me that . I had to start my own business
• 8. Sally, “Where did Kevin go on Friday night?” Sally asked me . where Kevin had gone on Friday night
• 9. Matthew, “Will you take the dog for a walk?” Matthew asked me . if I would take the dog for a walk
• 10. Ryan, “I have already watered the flowers.” Ryan said that . he had already watered the flowers
• Reported Speech — Mixed — Exercise 2
• Reported Speech — Mixed — Exercise 3
• Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 1
• Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 2
• Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 3

Reported speech commands and requests

• English grammar PDF
• PDF worksheets
• Mixed PDF tests
• Irregular verbs
• Modal verbs
• If-conditional
• Passive voice

Reported speech

• Time clauses
• Relative clauses
• Indirect questions
• Question tags
• Imperative sentence
• Gerund and infinitive
• Direct | indirect object

Make reported commands and requests.

"Sit down, please," she asked me. She asked me to sit down.

Check test Answer key Clear test

Related pages:

Exercises, PDF worksheets and grammar rules.

Reported commands, requests and questions

Reported speech worksheets PDF

Reported commands and requests

We use verbs such as advise, ask, beg, forbid, order, persuade, recommend, tell, urge, warn etc. to introduce commands and requests in the reported speech.

In the direct speech we usually do not mention the person in the imperative. In the reported speech the person addressed must be mentioned.

"Stand up," the teacher said. - The teacher told the children to stand up. "Please, prepare for the exam," she said. - She urged me to prepare for the exam. "Take off your shoes," I said. - I advised him to take off his shoes. "Lie down on the floor," ordered the policeman. - The policeman ordered the robber to lie down on the floor.

Negative commands and requests

Negative commands and requests are made by verb + object + not + infinitive.

"Don't be late again," said Jane. - Jane urged me not be late again. "Don't hesitate," our teacher persuaded us. - Our teacher persuaded us not to hesitate. "Don't smoke," the doctor warned my father. - The doctor warned my father not to smoke.

Reported speech – Simple Present – Sentences – Exercise

Task no. 2331.

Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Always change the tense, although it is sometimes not necessary.

Abigail, "Isabella hates fish." Abigail said (that)  

Abigail said (that) Isabella hated fish .

Do you need help?

Reported speech

• Helen, "I speak English and Spanish." Helen said (that) .
• Ken, "Joy often reads comics." Ken said (that) .
• Harry and Marie, "We go swimming in the lake." Harry and Marie told me (that) .
• Madison, "I'm tired." Madison remarked (that) .
• Amy, "The boys always wear jeans." Amy told me (that) .
• Oliver and Noah, "Our smartphones don't work." Oliver and Noah mentioned (that) .
• Lisa, "Alan sometimes meets friends." Lisa said (that) .
• Andrew, "I really love my moped." Andrew said (that) .
• Nick, "You have a fast car." Nick remarked (that) .
• Josie, "Your dogs are cute." Josie told me (that) .
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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine 'destroys Russian Black Sea minesweeper'

Ukraine's navy says it has destroyed a Russian Black Sea fleet minesweeper. Meanwhile, an attack on a residential area in Kharkiv left six civilians injured - with Ukraine saying it is investigating the bombing as a potential war crime.

Sunday 19 May 2024 17:40, UK

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

• Six killed - including pregnant woman - in strikes on Kharkiv recreation area
• Ukraine investigating 'potential war crime' after civilians wounded
• Ukrainian soldiers reveal how they were secretly moved ahead of Russian invasion
• Russia takes control of village in Kharkiv - defence ministry

We're pausing our coverage of the Ukraine war for the moment.

Scroll through the blog below to catch up on today's developments.

Russian forces likely intend to launch the second phase of their offensive following their anticipated seizure of Vovchansk, three miles from the Russian border, according to the latest analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that Russian forces advanced between five and 10 kilometres in the northern Kharkiv region before Ukrainian forces stopped Russian advances.

The ISW says Russian forces are currently prioritising the seizure of Vovchansk because it is likely one of the remaining tactical objectives of the first phase, noting it is the largest settlement immediately on the border that would provide Russian forces with a staging ground to prepare for and launch the second phase.

The Russian objectives of the second phase are not yet clear, the ISW says. It could be to expand the "buffer zone" further in width along the border, or to advance closer to Kharkiv city.

Russian forces have also recently intensified efforts to seize the operationally significant town of Chasiv Yar, the ISW says, seeking to exploit the pressure on stretched Ukrainian forces. 

The number of people killed in Russian strikes on a Kharkiv recreation area has risen from five to six, with an employee of the resort still unaccounted for. 

At least 27 people were injured in the two airstrikes, which came about 20 minutes apart, according to an update from the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office on Telegram. 

The missing employee was fishing by a reservoir when the attack happened, the update said. 

Two police officers are among the injured, it added. 

The UK's defence secretary has confirmed the military aid that has been "rushed" to Ukraine. 

Grant Shapps said the "world cannot wait" as he urged nations to "step up" and support Kyiv's fight against Russia. 

Among the items sent by the UK are 80 defence missiles, one million rounds of ammunition and 20 Viking amphibious protected vehicles. 

Mr Shapps' tweet comes after he urged allies to give permission to Ukraine to use the weapons they have supplied against targets in Russian-annexed Crimea.

"We have been very, very clear with the world and helpful to Ukraine - for example, providing permissions for our weapons to be used throughout the whole of Ukraine ... that includes Crimea, which was taken by Putin in 2014," he told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: 

"Now, we do not get into how we would allow targeting with our weapons to be used outside of that. But we do provide our weapons to Ukraine in order for them to defend their country."

Pressed on Volodymyr Zelensky's calls for weapons to be available for strikes inside Russia, Mr Shapps said: "I can't go into the specifics of those private conversations about how the weapons are precisely used."

Finland will propose a law that would see it turn back migrants to Russia without processing their asylum applications - despite this potentially breaching its international human rights commitments.

Finland shut its border with Russia last year to stop a growing number of arrivals from countries including Syria and Somalia.

It accused Moscow of weaponising migration against Finland and the European Union, an assertion the Kremlin denies. 

"As this phenomenon is in Russia's hands - who comes, where from and when, to Finland's border - we cannot permit it," Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters.  

"Therefore we have to augment our legislation." 

The bill would allow border authorities to turn back asylum seekers who cross from Russia, with or without using force. But it would not apply to children and disabled people.

The proposal will go to parliament next week, where it will be submitted to the constitutional committee for review. It will need five-sixths of votes cast in parliament to pass - the high bar required for constitutional matters - and success is not certain. 

The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces have published their daily operational update... 

It says "intense" fighting is ongoing along almost the entire frontline, with 78 "combat clashes" already today, compared to 110 for the entirety of yesterday. 

The Russian forces became increasingly active on the Kharkiv front, with seven clashes reported so far today.

The situation in Kharkiv is "dynamic", it says, with Russian troops trying to push back the Ukrainian units near Vovchansk, Starytsia and Lyptsi.

Russia said on Saturday its forces had captured the village of Starytsia, bringing the total number of villages it has taken in the Kharkiv region to 13.

Russia has been pushing ahead with a ground offensive in recent days that opened a new front in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region and put further pressure on Kyiv's overstretched military. 

Russian forces have also increased their activity on the Siversk front and are attempting to break through Ukrainian defences in Bilohorivka, Verkhnokamianske and Rozdolivka, the update says. 

Oleksandr Usyk defeated British boxing star Tyson Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world on Saturday night.

But Fury says the outcome was down to the Ukraine war. 

He disputed his loss after the match, saying: "I believe I won that fight. I think he won a few rounds but I won the majority of them.

"His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war. Make no mistake, I won that fight in my opinion."

In response, Ukrainian Usyk said he was "ready for rematch," but later added: "I don't think about rematch now, I want to rest."

After today's attacks President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again called on Western allies to supply Kyiv with additional air defence systems to protect Kharkiv and other cities. 

He said there were reports "every hour" of fresh attacks. 

"Missiles, bombs, artillery are the only things that allow Russia to continue its aggression," he said on Telegram. 

"The world can stop Russian terror - and to do so, the lack of political will among leaders must be overcome."

"Two Patriots for Kharkiv will make a fundamental difference," he said, referring to Patriot missile defence systems. 

Air defence systems for other cities and sufficient support for soldiers on the front line would ensure Russia's defeat, the president added. 

This morning, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the delay in giving aid to Ukraine gave Russia a window of opportunity for its new offensive. 

Five people have died in strikes on two villages in the Kupiansk district in Kharkiv, local officials say. 

It brings the number of people killed in the Kharkiv region today to 10, after five people died in strikes on a recreation area in a northern suburb of the city of Kharkiv.

Local governor Oleh Syniehubov said Russian forces shelled two villages with a self-propelled multiple rocket launcher. 

At least nine people were injured in the attacks. 

We're getting photos of the aftermath of strikes on a recreation area just outside Kharkiv which killed five people and left at least 16 injured. 

The pictures show a lakeside resort, where shortly before the attacks local residents were "resting, enjoying a normal way of life", according to a local police inspector (see our 11.54 post).

Parademics and police tend to the wounded, but were also caught up in the second strike, which came about 20 minutes after the first. 

These are known as "double tap" strikes, which kill or injure emergency workers at the scene of strike impacts. 

Here are the latest photos from the scene...

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Wild scene at the Jersey Shore rally as crowds await former President Trump

• Updated: May. 14, 2024, 3:56 p.m. |
• Published: May. 11, 2024, 3:04 p.m.

• Eric Conklin | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
• Matt Gray | For NJ.com
• Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The scene in Wildwood looks like a beachfront concert, with a sea of people gathered in front of a stage on the sand.

But instead of band T-shirts, many are wearing familiar bright red baseball caps. And the main act they’re waiting for is Donald Trump , returning to the campaign trail after spending much of the last week inside a courtroom.

Thousands of people have streamed into the famed Jersey Shore destination to see the former president hold a rally along the Atlantic Ocean late Saturday afternoon.

It’s the second time in four years Trump has held a rally in Wildwood. He was also here in 2020, when he hosted an rally indoors at the local convention center during the otherwise quiet and cold January offseason — 10 months before he lost the Oval Office to President Joe Biden .

This time, Trump is appearing right on the beach, on a sunny but breezy weekend that was already busy, a day before Mother’s Day with Memorial Day just around the corner. Rising is the background are the Great White wooden roller coaster, the city’s iconic ferris wheel, and other boardwalk amusements.

The event comes a little less than six months before Trump and Biden — the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees, respectively — square off in a bitter rematch for the presidency on Election Day in November.

Though New Jersey is a blue state that Trump has lost twice by double digits, Wildwood is in one of the state’s patches of MAGA territory. Some attendees also said they came from out of state, including neighboring Pennsylvania, a big swing state.

Officials expect tens of thousands at the event, with Trump’s team calling it a “mega crowd.”

Trump is scheduled to speak after 5 p.m.

• THE LATEST: Trump cheered by thousands in big rally at the Jersey Shore

As the sun rose Saturday morning, some people who lined up on the boardwalk Friday waited eagerly to get their place on the beach, seagulls crackling overhead.

Chris and Jessica Mitchell traveled five hours through heavy traffic from Sussex County on Friday night to attend their first Trump rally.

“I think this country needs him back, because I don’t think this country can survive another four years of Democratic rule,” Chris said, noting he is counting on Trump to reduce inflation, secure the Southern border, and curb America’s dependence on foreign oil.

Jessica said she hopes Trump can deliver lower taxes.

Trump — who saw his fame grow in the 1980s as a casino owner just up the Garden State Parkway in Atlantic City — is holding the rally under a veil of legal woes. Wildwood is about two hours from the courtroom in his native New York, where he is on trial in a hush-money case , a scenario that has limited his time on the campaign trail. Trump faces three other unrelated criminal indictments , as well.

He also continues to be hounded by criticism over the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, despite multiple court rulings rejecting that.

But Kelly Moran traveled from Pennsylvania to take in her fifth Trump rally.

“It’s on the beach and it’s definitely going to be epic,” Moran said. “I just love to go to his rallies. There are a lot of awesome people here. You meet friends.”

She expects this one to be different.

“I think Trump is going to be talking about a lot of things that’s been happening with his trial and all the witch-hunts and all the lies,” Moran said.

She said Trump’s biggest priority, though, should be releasing those charged in the Jan. 6 attack.

“They are political prisoners and they need to be released,” Moran said.

Democrats held a press call Friday to criticize Trump for the five bankruptcies his casino companies racked up and his record on jobs compared to Biden. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill , D-11th Dist., is spending Saturday holding various events around New Jersey to counteract Trump’s rally.

“Donald Trump, you’re not welcome in NJ,” Sherrill wrote on social media Saturday . “Because in the Garden State, we believe in democracy, we know that diversity is our strength, & we let women make their own healthcare decisions. Do us all a favor and go back to court.”

• MORE: Democrats strike at Trump ahead of N.J. rally

Trump, however, said during a radio interview Friday that he intends not only to compete in New Jersey but carry the state — something a Republican presidential candidate hasn’t done since 1988.

“It’s not just gonna be, ‘Gee, maybe we can get close.’ We’re gonna win it,” he said.

Michael Tyler, communication director for Biden’s campaign, laughed that off.

“I think here on Planet Earth in the Biden campaign, we’re going to remain laser-focused on winning 270 electoral votes,” Tyler said. “We are focused on communicating directly with the voters who are actually going to decide this presidential election.”

National polls have so far shown a tight race between Trump and Biden. In New Jersey, a recent survey from Emerson College found Biden leading Trump by 7 percentage points and by 5 when third party candidates are added.

Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in the state by about 1 million.

Trump has repeatedly accused the Biden administration and Democratic officials in New York of using the legal system to block his return to the presidency. Prosecutors allege Trump broke the law to conceal an affair with a porn actor that would have hurt his first campaign.

He is expected to highlight his legal troubles during Saturday’s rally, though he is under a judge’s gag order that limits his legal ability to comment publicly on witnesses, jurors, and some others connected to the New York trial. The judge already has fined Trump $9,000 for violating the order and warned jail could follow if he doesn’t comply.

Biden, meanwhile, began this weekend with a series of fundraising events on the West Coast and has so far avoided discussing Trump’s legal challenges.

At a private fundraiser in Seattle on Saturday, Biden called Trump “clearly unhinged,” according to a report by CNN .

“It’s clear that … when he lost in 2020, something snapped in him,” the president told attendees. “Just listen to what he’s telling people.”

Still, Biden said he believes the election will still be “close.”

Along the beach and boardwalk in Wildwood, there are lots of true Trump believers — and right-wing views.

Dan and LeeAnn Raffensperger traveled from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for their first Trump rally.

“We travel all over the country and all around the world and here in America there’s not any city we can go to that we feel safe,” LeeAnn said.

Sue Micklus, from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, traveled to Wildwood Friday after attending another Trump rally last month in her home state.

Decked out in a “Women for Trump” T-shirt as she walked down the Wildwood boardwalk, the 60-year-old Micklus said she’s been politically active since her 20s but has gotten more involved in the last dozen years.

“We were a much safer country when he was president,” she said.

Adam Radogna, from the Outer Banks in North Carolina, was waving a gigantic Trump flag on the boardwalk as passersby stopped to take photos. Radogna has been to more that 40 Trump rallies and is a member of the “Front-Row Joes” group that supports Trump and travels nationwide to back their candidate.

“We have members from all over the country. It’s no more than 30 or 40 of us and we just love to support Donald Trump,” he said. “He knows who we are and we’ve all met him.”

Jersey politics is also on display. Next year’s governor’s race to succeed Democrat Phil Murphy is already revving up, with a number of Democrats and Republicans having declared their campaigns.

On the Republican side, Trump’s influence is palpable. State Sen. Jon Bramnick has openly criticized Trump, while former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli has gone from calling Trump a “charlatan” years ago to endorsing the former president this year and saying he won’t disparage Trump supporters. Waiting in the wings are a pair of pro-Trump candidates: state Sen. Ed Durr, who is expected to enter the race Monday , and conservative radio host Bill Spadea.

The question is whether someone who is anti-Trump or straddles the line can win over the base in the Republican primary and whether a pro-Trump contender can win the general election in the Democratic-leaning state.

It was Spadea’s radio show that Trump appeared on Friday morning — during which he took shots at Ciattarelli, who is running for governor for the third straight time, after narrowly losing to Murphy in 2021.

“This guy never came to ask for my support, and you know what?” When MAGA sees that, they don’t like it, and they didn’t vote for him,” Trump said of Ciattarelli, while calling Spadea “fantastic.”

Nonetheless, Ciattarelli has been working the crowd before Trump’s rally. At one point, a plane in the sky above him carried a banner: “Jack Citt said don’t vote Trump he’s embarrassing.” It was unclear who had chartered the plane.

Spadea was also on hand Saturday, hosting a live show from the rally.

Bramnick joked via phone that he was not there, noting that he can’t support Trump because of election denial and Jan. 6.

“The Republican Party has to be the party of law and order,” he told NJ Advance Media. “I’m concerned this is where our party is. This is not a model for young people.”

Meanwhile, Scott Laibaido, an artist known for painting patriotic images and political activist, was the rally’s first act. Cheers and chants came from the crowd as Laibaido painted an image with Trump’s likeness while ”America the Beautiful” played behind him.

Jersey-centric music — Sinatra, the Four Seasons — has also played over the event’s loudspeakers throughout the day.

Spotted along the boardwalk were a few people wearing T-shirts that read “Proud Boys,” a right-wing group the Anti-Defamation League has labeled as extremist . Among the crowds gathered at the East Schellenger Avenue entrance to the beach awaiting Trump’s arrival were three masked Proud Boys members .

Police said no permits for counterprotests were filed with the city. And by 3 p.m., there was no one in the designated protest area on the beach.

But along the boardwalk walked a man wearing a blue Biden T-shirt and carrying a sign.

“No one is above the law,” it read.

A woman yelled at him: “Biden is evil!”

The man continued walking.

NJ Advance Media staff writers Spencer Kent and Andre Malok and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Eric Conklin may be reached at [email protected] .

Matt Gray may be reached at [email protected] .

Brent Johnson may be reached at [email protected] .

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