‘They Are Afraid’: Trump Campaign Melting Down over Harris Candidacy
VP's camp begun labeling Republicans as "weird"
Fear and disarray have been tearing at Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign in the week or so since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Biden as his opponent at the head of the Democratic ticket.
That’s according to multiple political analysts and journalists who have had knowledge of Trump and his team since Biden suddenly dropped out of the race for reelection and endorsed Harris to succeed him June 21.
Since then, Harris has secured an astounding $200 million in campaign donations and more than 170,000 new volunteers have signed up for her race.
This has left Trump — and his running mate, Sen JD Vance of Ohio — adrift and unable to successfully land political attacks on their new rival, Harris.
“I think in our entire American political history, we have never seen a rollout this fast and this total in terms of endorsements, support, delegates, the money, astounding,” said former New York City mayor Bill deBlasio, who briefly tried to run for the Democratic presidential nomination four years ago. “I think the Trump operation is absolutely confused at this point about what to do. And they can read the polling just like you. You're right, this is anybody's ballgame. That was not true a week ago.”
The shakeup in the presidential contest clearly has stymied the Trump campaign at the highest levels, including campaign chief Chris LaCivita, according to SE Cupp, a political commentator on CNN.
“It is striking the way Kamala Harris has scrambled the very finely tuned Chris LaCivita operation that was being run. I mean, it was being run really well. Gone is the confidence. Remember Donald Trump sort of goading Biden into a debate. ‘I'm ready for a debate. Let's do it right now,’ he said months before the actual debate. Gone is the discipline that Chris LaCivita had managed to hold Donald Trump to, you know, basically through the [Republican National] convention,” Cupp said. “That's all gone. So what you're seeing now is sort of a desperation, a panic, not really knowing how to handle her new entry into the race.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, serving in the current Biden administration, mocked Trump’s recent campaign speeches for focusing on the fictional character, Hannibal Lecter, as well as shark attacks.
“I think it demonstrates that this is not just a traditional Democrats-vs-Republicans debate or argument. We can go back and forth all day on a more progressive worldview versus a more conservative worldview, but the stuff that you are seeing out of Trump and Vance isn’t just conservative. In fact, sometimes it is as offensive to conservative ideas as it is to liberal ideas,” he said. “This talk about terminating the Constitution, the deep weirdness of having somebody who wants to be president of the United States rambling about electrocuting sharks and Hannibal Lecter. And I think it reminds us of the choice we face not just in terms of policies, direction for the country, which is hugely important, of course, but also a choice in terms of what it will feel like to live in this country.
“I don’t want to worry about sharks that often or think about Hannibal Lecter too often or any of the just dark and twisted things that were shoved in our face all the time during the Trump presidency and ever since by the Trump campaign,” Buttigieg added. “I think we have a chance to have a better, brighter future. That’s what I love about this contrast.”
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign has been effective at labeling Trump and Vance as “weird,” according to former Democratic senator Claire McCaskill.
“Yeah, I think Democrats always have a problem trying to get into the weeds of why their policies are bad and why our policies are good. What I really like about the Harris for President campaign is they are sticking with very relatable, very accessible, and frankly, very uplifting tones — not saying the other side is extreme, they are saying it is just weird,” she said. “And that is how people talk. I think people relate to that. And they are also talking about freedom and the future. And by the way, we are proud of our laughter and joy. We are not talking about darkness and grievance. We are talking about light. We are talking about opportunity. I think all of these broad strokes that are simple and straightforward will really serve the Harris campaign well.
“I just pray we don’t get into the weeds about, oh, we have to get into the policy differentials on environmental or offshore drilling. We’ve got to stay with these really uplifting, positive — and by the way, they are weird,” McCaskill added.
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