In an interview with Fox News broadcast on Friday, former President George W. Bush’s deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove , sounded the alarm on President Donald Trump’s electoral prospects.
Rove pointed out that Trump is trailing the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Joe Biden , in most polls.
“In some states, it is close and within the margin of error. But, let’s be honest about it, the president is behind today. All the national polls suggest he is behind.”
The GOP operative then pointed to the RealClearPolitics average of polling data, noting that Biden’s lead has increased from 5 to 9 percentage points nationwide.
According to a Fox News survey released last week, Biden is polling 12 percentage points ahead of Trump nationwide.
The network’s most recent polls found that the former vice president has increased his advantage in a number of key battleground states. In Florida, Trump is trailing Biden by 9 percentage points. In the states of North Carolina and Georgia, Biden is ahead by 2 percent.
In Texas — which has been a reliable Republican stronghold for decades — Biden and Trump are polling within 1 percentage point of each other. Notably, the Texas survey also showed that Biden has an 18-point advantage over Trump among independent voters and that he is supported by a considerable number of white evangelicals and “very” conservative voters.
In 2016, when he ran against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Trump won all four of these states.
NEW SWING STATE POLLS RELEASED: Biden showing leads in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas according to a new Fox News poll released just minutes ago.
Thoughts on these numbers? pic.twitter.com/cGxaONaeLd
— Robert Sherman (@RobertShermanTV) June 25, 2020
In order to revive his campaign and catch up to Biden, Trump needs to focus on what he would do in his next term, according to Rove.
“What does he want to do next? No president wins by simply saying, ‘I’ve done a good job.’ So, last night, he was asked this question by Sean Hannity and he needs to give a better answer. But this is the most important thing,” he said.
The former Bush White House official added that the president needs to contrast his own record with Biden’s and attack the Democrat over what are perceived to be his biggest weaknesses.
As CNN reported, during his Thursday town hall with anchor Sean Hannity, Trump seemingly struggled to explain what he would do in his next term, making “vague references” to talent and experience. The president attacked Biden, apparently questioning his rival’s cognitive abilities.
“I mean, the man can’t speak. And he’s going to be your president because some people don’t love me, maybe,” he said.