As Vice President Kamala Harris has widened her lead in national polls, and in swing states, former President Donald Trump has become more volatile, erratic and unpredictable — so much so that one of his most ardent allies says that if he can’t get back on message, Trump could lose in November.
Senator Lindsey Graham, during an interview Sunday on NBC Press conference He admitted that the “provocative and boastful Trump may not win this election.”
Host Kristen Welker showed Graham a clip of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley criticizing Trump for not staying on message. “You’re not going to win a campaign talking about crowd size. You’re not going to win talking about Kamala Harris’ race. You’re not going to win talking about whether or not she’s stupid… You can’t win those things… I think the campaign needs to focus,” Haley said.
“Senator, do you agree with Nikki Haley’s assessment?” Welker asked.
“I don’t look at Vice President Harris as crazy. I look at her as the most liberal person ever nominated for president in the history of the United States,” Graham said. “I would like to make it about policy. Defending her policy choices is a nightmare for Harris. Every day that we don’t talk about her policy choices as vice president, and what she might do as president, is a good day for her and a bad day for us.”
Welker then asked, “Do you think former President Trump should stop talking about Vice President Harris’ race and intelligence?”
Graham responded by asking Haley and other Republicans critical of Trump to “get together and campaign for him, rather than just give advice.”
Then Graham said: “President Trump can win this election. His policies are good for America, and if you had a political debate for president, he would win. Donald Trump, the inflammatory, the boastful, may not win this election.”
“I look forward to President Trump coming out in the last 80 days to outline what he will do for our country, to fix our broken borders, to bring down inflation,” Graham added.
“Politics is the key to the White House,” Graham concluded.
But politics is low on Trump’s agenda as he delivers his rambling rallies and news conferences. And Trump relishes the name-calling. “I think I have a right to be attacked personally,” Trump said at a news conference Thursday that was billed as focusing on the economy and inflation.
At a rally on Saturday, Trump again launched personal attacks when he made the ironic statement, “I'm a lot prettier than her. I'm a prettier person than Kamala.”