Republicans warn Trump about his campaign strategy after Elon Musk interview… and tell him what to do as ‘window closes’ for 2024
Republican strategists are strongly warning Donald Trump and his campaign not to effectively attack his political foe Kamala Harris.
The Republican Party presidential nominee is struggling to determine a clear line of attack against Harris after major changes at the top of the Democratic presidential nomination.
He recently sparked controversy when he claimed he “didn’t know” Harris was black and compared her attendance figures to his own at campaign rallies.
His key allies have told him to focus on Kamala Harris’ performance as vice president and ignore all the other nonsense so he can unseat her in November.
Trump was a guest on Elon Musk (X) on Monday night for a wide-ranging interview in which the two discussed a range of topics. However, strategists believe it did little to change minds in the neck-and-neck race with just months to go until Election Day.
“Every day that Trump doesn’t spend in a swing state, bashing Kamala Harris on issues like the economy and border security, is a day wasted,” said Republican strategist Kevin Madden, who worked on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.
“The key to winning over swing voters is to convince them with a pro-economy message and to be relentless in doing so,” he added.
Former President Trump held a rally in Bozeman, MT on August 9. It was his only stop on the campaign trail last week. He will be in North Carolina on Wednesday and Pennsylvania on Friday
The latest polls show Harris eroding Trump’s lead as he took on President Joe Biden. According to the Real Clear Politics average, Harris leads by just over a point in a head-to-head race — a statistical tie.
Recent polls in states where the election remains uncertain also show Harris closing the gap and moving ahead of the former president in some states as she ramps up her campaigning on the ground.
But Trump has been largely off the campaign trail for the past two weeks. On Friday, he traveled to Montana for a rally. The state is seen as a safe red state, not a battleground.
On Wednesday, he returns to North Carolina, a swing state he won in 2016 and 2020. He also travels to Pennsylvania to campaign there on Saturday in preparation for the Democratic National Convention next week in Chicago.
Former President Donald Trump joined Elon Musk for an interview on X that lasted two hours after a late start due to technical issues. Musk is a supporter of the GOP presidential candidate
GOP adviser Mike Madrid suggested that Trump is running out of time to turn the tide. The anti-Trump Republican strategist shared his perspective in a post on X.
“Trump has two essential goals to get back into a stronger position: 1. He has to define Kamala and they are losing that battle. The window is closing. 2. He has to redefine himself. Good luck,” he wrote.
Madrid said that if Harris goes into her party convention next week with continued positive sentiment and momentum, it will be “very difficult” for Trump to turn the tide.
“Public opinion will begin to settle,” he wrote.
While not at the trial, the 78-year-old Republican presidential candidate posted a series of messages on social media and did online interviews, such as the one he did on X with Musk on Monday.
His interview with the tech billionaire lasted two hours, during which the ex-president railed against crowds, immigration, crime and repeated his false claims about the 2020 election.
Trump also called Harris “a radical leftist nutcase” and “third rate” and praised her appearance on the new cover of Time magazine, comparing her to his wife Melania Trump.
Kamala Harris heads to North Carolina on Friday for a policy speech before Democrats travel to Chicago next week for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“Unfortunately, if you were someone who was listening to him and maybe you had some doubts, or you were just curious about what he had to say but you already formed your opinion, I don’t think it changed a lot of people’s minds,” Amy Tarkanian, a Republican strategist and former chair of the Nevada Republican Party, said in an interview with CNBC.
She said the only positive for the Trump campaign was the two free hours of advertising, as more than a million people tuned in.
But Tarkanian noted that Harris is ahead among women voters and young voters. She suggested that some comments from Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance haven’t helped the Trump ticket there either, so the former president has an “uphill battle.”
“Whether you agree with Vice President Harris’ policies and positions or not, unfortunately we now have voters who are more focused on single issues like abortion, or voters who are more concerned about how you make me feel, and that becomes an emotional vote,” she said.
Tarkanian said Trump doesn’t radiate things that make people feel good, like hope and joy.
“He still comes across as someone who is angry,” she argued.