Donald Trump Reportedly ‘In Serious Trouble’ As Advisers Seek To Restart Campaign
According to a Friday report from CNN, President Donald Trump is believed to be “in serous trouble” with only five months until the 2020 presidential election. This state of affairs was detailed by “two people who were aware of” a purported meeting to discuss a Trump campaign restart.
The nation has been grappling with two major crises: the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing protests against police brutality. The demonstrations, which exploded after the death of George Floyd, came at the worst moment for Trump, who was struggling to maintain his political standing.
Since the beginning of the protests, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, has surged past Trump in virtually all polls. For instance, a recent Fox News poll showed Trump trailing the Democrat by 12 percentage points nationwide.
The president’s advisers reportedly concluded that the reelection campaign needed a reboot in order to catch up to Biden.
The campaign is reportedly looking to embrace a more optimistic message about reopening the country and reviving the crashing economy. Trump and his allies will also try to define Biden as “weak, ineffectual and hiding in his basement.”
The message will be premiered on Saturday by the president himself. Despite warnings from public health experts, Trump and his team have decided to hold a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to local officials, more than 1 million Americans requested tickets for the event, and over 100,000 Trump supporters are expected to show up.
A top Trump campaign adviser said that the president is “going to be in a much better mood” if the rally goes well.
“He believes that he needs to be out there fighting and he feeds off the energy of the crowds.”
“Americans will now see the contrast between the President’s record of accomplishment versus the history of failure Biden brings to the table,” the Trump campaign’s communications director, Tim Murtaugh, said.
According to an official briefed on the matter, Trump’s campaign manager — Brad Parscale — has identified “two-thirds” of the voters the president needs to win in order to defeat Biden. Although Parscale apparently remains close with White House adviser Jared Kushner — who is one of the key figures in the campaign — Trump has reportedly been lashing out at him behind the scenes.
A Trump adviser said that the decision to appoint White House aide Bill Stepien as deputy campaign manager was made in order to protect Parscale from criticism and ensure that someone loyal to Kushner takes over the campaign in case “Brad has to go.”
According to a Republican official in contact with Trump’s team, the president can still make a comeback.
“Traditional rules of politics have never applied to Donald Trump. We’ll see if they do this time. Counting him out would be malpractice for Democrats,” the official said.