Trump Runs the Type of Marketing campaign He Likes, however Not the One He Would possibly Want

“Many Republican advisors are frustrated because we want the president’s campaign to focus on the economy,” said David Kochel, an Iowa Republican strategist. “Your best message is: Trump built a great economy” and Covid-19 damaged it, and Mr. Trump is a better option than Mr. Biden to restore it, he said.

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“Our base loves the stuff about Hunter Biden, laptops and Mayor Giuliani,” added Kochel. “But they are already voting for Trump.”

Prior to Mr. Trump’s disgruntled victory in 2016, his campaign also mixed public boasting with private concern about the apparent likelihood of defeat. But then, unlike today, Mr Trump ended the race with a jackhammer message attacking Hillary Clinton as a corrupt insider and promising far-reaching economic changes – an argument far clearer than what he is offering today.

Mr. Stepien and other campaign leaders, including a senior strategist Jason Miller, have told Republicans in Washington that they expect to outperform public polls. They say their own data suggests a closer race in a number of states, including Arizona and Pennsylvania, than polls conducted by news organizations. They bet that the voter registration and turnout that Mr Trump’s team has built over the past four years will ultimately give them an edge on election day in tightly divided states.

Still, in newly direct language, some prominent Republicans have noted the possibility – and even the likelihood – of the president’s defeat. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally, said this week that Democrats “have a good chance of winning the White House” while Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse said his party may be facing a “bloodbath”.

While the fear of retaliation from Mr. Trump has disturbed most party members, strategists are deeply concerned that Mr. Trump could spend the final weeks of the campaign entertaining and energizing his existing supporters without making a concerted effort to recruit new ones Find – an approach that could cripple other Republicans running for office.

Ken Spain, a Republican strategist, said Trump “failed to deliver a consistent message at the most critical point in the campaign”.