WASHINGTON — Donald Trump will hold a rally in Austin next week, returning to the Lone Star State for the first time since becoming the Republican nominee.

Trump had previously scheduled fundraisers Tuesday in Fort Worth and and Austin, but his campaign announced Friday that he would add a public event to his day in Texas.

He has been known to add public events during similar fundraising trips around the country in the past, even when appearing in solidly Republican states. When Trump last visited the state for fundraisers in June, he appended rallies in Dallas and The Woodlands.

But Trump's campaign stop in safely red Texas raises questions about how he is investing his time, as the candidate looks to make up a significant deficit in national polls against Democrat Hillary Clinton. While Trump does have upcoming events planned in Ohio and Virginia, he will also hold a rally the day after Austin in Jackson, Miss.

“Apart from it being miserable on the basis of temperature, it is strategically incompetent,” Austin-based GOP strategist Matt Mackowiak said of Trump’s campaign schedule. “It makes absolutely no sense. ... It almost seems like they’re throwing darts at a map and deciding that way.”

Mackowiak, a vocal Trump critic, argues that the nominee should commit all of his attention to the small slice of states that could give him a path to electoral success. By continuing to hold rallies each night, Trump is drawing focus away from Clinton, Mackowiak says.

“He would be so much better off resting, doing policy briefings, doing debate prep, doing conference calls with donors in other areas,” Mackowiak said. “There’s a million other things he could be doing that would be more productive than going to Austin and Mississippi 80 days before the election. It’s completely indefensible and it’s clinically insane.”

Texas Democratic Party spokesman Tariq Thowfeek suggested that the Republican Party is having an "identity crisis" right now and that Trump is seizing on uncertainty among elected officials.

"It's likely Trump sees his visit to Texas as an opportunity to issue marching orders to followers like George P. Bush and Tea Party Republican Will Hurd," Thowfeek said. "One thing is certain, Donald Trump won't come here with any answers for hard-working Texas families about rising health care costs, overcrowded classrooms or our state's crumbling infrastructure."

But Texas Republican Party chairman Tom Mechler said that he is "very excited" about Trump coming to the state.

"For Mr. Trump to come to Austin, the blueberry in the tomato soup that is Texas, should certainly ruffle the feathers of some very liberal politicians who are more concerned with being politically correct than addressing the many issues facing the citizens of Austin," Mechler said. "Mr. Trump's visit will help broaden his popularity amongst Texas Republicans and further unite our Party as we inch closer to November."

Meanwhile, Clinton has not been spending any comparable time in safe blue regions of the country, instead devoting her campaign schedule to battleground states. In recent weeks she has campaigned heavily in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Carolina and Florida.

But Trump's visit to Texas may suggest to the Clinton campaign that more conservative states are increasingly up for grabs.

"Communities across the spectrum are rejecting Donald Trump's dangerous candidacy which has opened up more opportunities for us in states that have typically favored Republicans," said Lily Adams, a Clinton campaign spokeswoman and the granddaughter of the state's last Democratic governor, Ann Richards.

"These states won't turn blue overnight but we're organizing and talking with more voters every day to build support for Hillary Clinton," she added.

Former President Bill Clinton will also return to Texas next week, raising money for his wife's campaign in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Hillary Clinton's running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, also swung through Texas on a fundraising trip recently, adding a volunteer appreciation event while in Austin.

The Lone Star Project, a Democratic group in the state, latched on to the news of Trump’s rally to prod other prominent Texas Republicans about their support for Trump, questioning whether they would attend.

"Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, George P. Bush, Sid Miller and indicted AG Ken Paxton have all endorsed the divisive and destructive GOP nominee," said Matt Angle, the group's director, in a written statement. "Will they welcome Trump to Texas and take the stage with him on Tuesday?"

An Abbott aide said Friday that the governor will not be able to attend the rally. He will instead be at the Brooke Army Medical Center at that time as part of "ongoing treatment" for the burns he sustained while vacationing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, last month.

Abbott's predecessor, former Governor Rick Perry, will attend the fundraiser in Austin prior to the rally, an aide said, but an out-of-town commitment will prevent Perry from going to the rally. Perry made news earlier this week when he defended Trump's dispute with the Muslim parents of a fallen U.S. Army captain, saying on CNN that Khizr Khan was "the one that went out and struck the first blow."

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has become one of Trump's most outspoken advocates in the state, will attend both the rally and fundraisers, an aide said. Attorney General Ken Paxton has previously scheduled speaking commitments and cannot make it, according to his spokeswoman.

Rep. Michael McCaul, an Austin Republican and chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, will be out of the state that day and unable to attend, his spokesman said. McCaul has been advising Trump on national security issues and participated in a roundtable with the candidate earlier this week.

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush will also not be able to attend , an aide said, due to previously planned state business. Bush, whose father Jeb was among Trump's vanquished GOP primary rivals, recently urged Republicans to swallow a "bitter pill" and vote for the Republican nominee.

Jason Stanford, a spokesman for Austin Mayor Steve Adler, used the opportunity to take a subtle dig at Trump’s campaign rhetoric, urging him to adopt a more Austin-like mindset.

"On behalf of the mayor, we would like to welcome Donald Trump to a thriving city that is inclusive and optimistic," Stanford said. "We hope he learns a lot here."

Recent polls in Texas have suggested a tightening race, but even most Democrats in the state acknowledge that is is still some ways off from becoming competitive. No Democratic presidential candidate has carried Texas since Jimmy Carter in 1976.