Donald Trump and His MAGA Campaign Are Trapped in a 'Mental Health Death Spiral,' Says Analyst

Donald Trump is apparently struggling amid his rival Kamala Harris' growing popularity. The Republican nominee was thriving when incumbent POTUS Joe Biden was still in the 2024 presidential race as his MAGA campaign was focused on 'Sleepy Biden' and 'Crooked Joe Biden' narratives. However, after Harris took over the charge, some people think Trump and his team are going into a downward 'spiral.'

According to New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait, the ex-commander-in-chief is so determined to return to the White House that Harris' mounting support is triggering him. Also, the VP's current polling victories are sending him and his campaign into a 'mental health death spiral,' given that Trump was once leading with huge margins, as per Raw Story. 

"When Trump was ahead, he was capable of making rational choices that allowed him to maintain his lead," the analyst wrote. "Now that his lead is gone, so is his willingness to do the things that enable him to win. He was largely heeding the advice of his campaign team and acting relatively — relatively — normal, which is to say far from normal but much closer to it than his usual performance."

However, after Biden passed the torch to Harris, she reenergized despairing Democrats and pumped back hope of a better future for her party in the upcoming November elections. The former prosecutor's campaign quickly gained momentum and resonated with diverse American communities. Additionally, she gained support from journalists, media outlets, and celebrities. As such, according to Raw Story, a rattled Trump was not listening to the good advice of his allies as Chait noted, "He [Trump] has been consumed by a mix of envy at Harris's popularity and grievance at his own displacement." 

The 59-year-old Democrat is beating Trump in national, swing state polls. According to the DDHQ/The Hill poll, Harris is leading by a narrow 0.3 points. Although the number is relatively low, it comes after a wider audience accepted Harris as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate and her running mate Tim Walz. Slowly but steadily, they are moving up in the polls. 

Additionally, in a poll conducted by The New York Times/Siena College and released on Saturday, August 10, 2024, she maintained a 4-point lead, whereas another poll from a Democratic super PAC placed Harris 9 points ahead of Trump with voters 18 to 29 years old, a group that Biden had struggled to gain support from. Within three weeks of Biden endorsing Harris, the polls turned a complete 180 for the Republican nominee. 

However, a Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, said, "She still hasn't taken any questions from media. She's done no interviews whatsoever, and she's hiding from her record. You have to answer those questions at some point." But, naturally, Harris' lead and media dominance seem to be troubling Trump as Chait concluded his political advisors found it hard to discipline the ex-president and may even be questioning his competency now. Chait concluded, "Losing campaigns often identify their failures and make a course correction. Trump’s campaign is instead spiraling into a mental breakdown."