Is this what brings Trump down?
A shocking report in Vanity Fair reveals that the former president is constantly reviewing footage of his near-assassination attempt, leading his closest advisers to fear he is sabotaging himself.
“He’s watched that seven-second clip of how close he was to being shot in the head — over and over again,” said a GOP source close to the campaign. “He may actually have PTSD.”
Of course! How could he not?
It seems unlikely that Trump will seek professional help. A man of his generation and attitude would probably see that as a sign of weakness rather than strength.
But if he wants to salvage his failed campaign – and that remains to be seen – he may have to.
According to the NIH, the most common features of post-traumatic stress disorder include “reliving the traumatic event,” “cognitive and mood disturbances,” and “irritability and angry or aggressive outbursts.”
A shocking report in Vanity Fair reveals that the former president is constantly reviewing footage of his near-assassination attempt, leading his closest advisers to fear he is sabotaging himself.
Insiders see these symptoms manifesting themselves. So do we.
Trump has aged rapidly in recent weeks.
Trauma will do that, especially in old age. Death is suddenly very close, and he may wonder if another race, another term, is worth it.
Perhaps, after narrowly escaping an assassin’s bullet, he’d rather hang out on the golf course and spend what good years he has left with his grandchildren, who, as his 17-year-old granddaughter Kai showed in her passionate speech at the RNC, love him dearly.
Trump’s own wife has reportedly made it clear that she has no interest in a second term and will not return to the White House.
Ivanka and Jared are out too. Barron is off to college. Trump is looking forward to a solitary existence in the Oval, should he win.
Maybe he doesn’t want it anymore.
“It seems like he’s choosing to lose,” an insider told Vanity Fair.
Another source says Trump is furious that he is facing Kamala Harris.
“They cheated by replacing Biden,” he complains.
And then there are his legal problems.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on fraud charges in a Manhattan court on September 18. He must then answer at least two other federal charges: one on January 6 and the other over election interference in Georgia.
Add to that Harris’s rising poll numbers, the support she’s getting from the Democratic National Convention next week, and this slobbery media tongue-lashing — despite Harris not giving a single interview or holding a single press conference — and things are looking very bleak indeed.
We see that Trump feels it.
He has a dull complexion, little energy and during that long-winded conversation with Elon Musk his voice sounded unclear.
His speeches lack the power and precision he once displayed. Now he wanders, takes oratorical side streets, literally seems to lose the plot or the point he is trying to make.
Trump has aged rapidly in recent weeks. Trauma does that, especially in old age. Perhaps, after narrowly escaping an assassin’s bullet, he’d rather hang out on the golf course and spend what good years he has left with his grandchildren.
Trump’s own wife has reportedly made it clear that she has no interest in a second term and will not return to the White House. Ivanka and Jared are also out. Barron is off to college. Trump is looking forward to a solitary existence in the Oval, should he win.
Ironically, in many ways, Trump suddenly looks nothing like his former rival, whose decline made Trump — 78, compared to Biden’s 81 — look downright youthful.
Now, compared to the 59-year-old Harris, Trump is the grumpy, forgetful, angry, slightly racist and sexist old man who is shunned by all the neighbors.
That goodwill after the assassination, the courage and defiance Trump showed in the seconds afterward – it’s all gone.
Trump has only himself to blame.
The nicknames aren’t funny anymore — “Kamabla” hasn’t stuck. The racist jibes about how “black” she looks only benefit her, while making Trump look small and pathetic.
Kamala gets her “Brat” summer, speaking to an adoring, enthusiastic audience and spreading her message of optimism and joy (vague stuff, mind you) as Trump retreats.
Why doesn’t he attack Harris on her political weaknesses, of which there are plenty, instead of bullying her?
“She really called me weird,” Trump grumbled at a news conference on Thursday. “I think I have a right to make personal attacks. I don’t have a lot of respect for her. I don’t have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she’ll be a terrible president.”
No matter how hard Trump’s team tries, they can’t stop him.
I think it’s counterproductive to [Harris] “Stupid,” Trump’s close friend Roger Stone said this week.
Meanwhile, Republican insiders tell my colleague Andrew Neil that words like “deranged” and “breakdown” are increasingly being used to describe Trump’s mental state.
And this isn’t the first time he’s done this.
Trump is, in fact, the only presidential candidate to ever run against a privileged female Democratic icon and win. He has called Hillary Clinton many things, but he has never called her stupid.
The task should be simple: All Trump has to do is take Harris to task on the economy, the border, foreign policy, and Israel, and her lack of concrete plans or vision for the country.
What is he waiting for? Inflation is falling. The Fed has announced another rate cut in September. Harris will take credit for repatriating American hostages from Russian prisons.
In Tim Walz, she has a friendly, boring, older man from the Midwest who is embraced by the base – unlike Trump’s running mate JD Vance, who has proven to be polarizing and can’t shake the comment about “childless cat ladies.”
At this point, it looks like Kamala is going to lose this election.
She is cleverly positioning herself as the underdog, but an underdog that raised a record $81 million in the 24 hours after Biden’s withdrawal.
The task should be simple: All Trump has to do is take Harris to task on the economy, the border, foreign policy, and Israel, and her lack of concrete plans or vision for the country.
On Friday, she spoke in North Carolina about her plans to create an “opportunity economy,” advocating for federal regulation of grocery store prices, giving low- and middle-income families thousands of dollars in child support and giving first-time homebuyers $25,000 in down payments.
She also promised to “cancel the medical debt of millions of Americans.”
Trump’s response? More name-calling.
“Comrade Kamala,” he said hours later, “has exposed a government price-fixing scheme that is more reminiscent of a Third World regime than the United States.”
That’s possible. But while Trump is concerned with his own concerns, Harris is focused on those of the average American.
“I know what I’m doing,” Trump reportedly told his dispirited advisers.
Maybe. You can never rule him out.
But maybe Trump, consciously or unconsciously, really wants to lose.