Having worked on numerous campaigns, I have never seen one of my candidates so fixated on conducting their own opposition research. A well-run campaign has staff dedicated to reading articles, reviewing TV and radio programs and monitoring various online platforms. Their job is to develop responses when needed, allowing the candidate to focus on more critical matters.
However, Donald Trump is trying to do this himself, which is misguided. He should focus on engaging with key donors and voter groups as a candidate.
Instead, he refuses to be interviewed by 60 Minutes, yet watches Kamala Harris being interviewed and starts texting nasty, personal remarks about her. His vocabulary in these attacks is comparable to that of an eighth-grade student.
A few years ago, the right wing attempted to create high-quality comedy programs to counter the many late-night shows that poke fun at Trump and his allies. Unsurprisingly, these efforts failed, and no investor was willing to pour money into that doomed venture.
Meanwhile, Donald stays up late, probably with a double cheeseburger, Diet Coke and a large order of fries, watching show after show as comics mock him during their monologues. Then he spends time ranting on his Truth Social platform about how awful they are.
FEMA has also been attacked by Trump and his supporters, even though he saw on television that FEMA was actively working on the ground. He falsely claimed they weren’t there, then accused them of only helping Democrats, and finally said illegal immigrants were receiving aid. All of these statements were lies and unhelpful to the ongoing relief efforts.
Trump’s campaign, along with the Republican National Committee (RNC), is being run by him rather than his staff. His team needs to get him off the couch and back to campaigning, away from the television.
This situation has many down-ballot Republican candidates worried.
