epublican pollster Frank Luntz warned that Donald Trump’s campaign needs a serious shift in messaging or Republicans risk losing the presidency, the House and the Senate in November.
Polls from the presidential race show little movement among voters, with Trump and Biden holding relatively steady with their supporters. But since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic candidate, the polling has tipped in her favor, and she’s gaining momentum with voters who were undecided, a problem for Trump in what is expected to be a very close race.
“He’s lost control,” Luntz told CNBC’s Squawk Box on Wednesday. “I know there are billionaires who watch this show who are spending a lot of money on Donald Trump, and they don’t understand why he’s committing political suicide.”
The GOP pollster was specifically referencing Trump’s comment about firing union workers. During a Monday X (formerly Twitter) conversation with Elon Musk, the former president praised Musk for his anti-union stances and for firing people who go on strike. The comment came weeks after Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, spoke at the Republican National Convention.
In response to the interview, O’Brien told Politico that firing workers for organizing or striking is “economic terrorism.”
Luntz noted that the conditions of the country lean in Trump’s favor. With inflation still high and the housing market locking many Americans out of buying homes, people are still very dissatisfied with the economy. They don’t feel the Biden administration has helped improve their lives in this respect, according to polls, and history shows that an electorate disgruntled about the economy can swing an election against the incumbent.
Throughout his campaign, Trump has led with voters on economic issues, but Harris has started to eat away at that support. She now leads with voters in terms of who would be better at handling the housing market and has shrunk the gap with Trump on handling the economy, unemployment, taxes and interest rates.
“Many Americans are looking for a fresh face with new ideas. And Harris is tapping into that,” Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, previously told Newsweek.
Trump has hammered both Biden and Harris on the economy, saying that if she wins the election America will enter a depression. He’s also said he’ll end the inflation “nightmare” Americans are experiencing.
Luntz advised Trump to stop using the word inflation and instead focus on housing, health care, food and fuel. “The people that Trump needs [to win the election] can’t afford it every week,” Luntz said.
The longtime pollster also advised Trump to take on spending in Washington, saying that hardworking taxpayers “hate” seeing money being wasted by politicians.
Polling shows Harris closing the gap or winning in swing states, and Luntz said her entrance into the campaign has changed the “entire electoral pool.”
“She’s got an intensity advantage, and I haven’t seen anything like this happen in 30 days in my lifetime,” Luntz said.
While Harris might be bringing into the electorate only 1 or 2 percent of voters, in a close election that’s all it could take to swing the election’s outcome, Luntz said.
The Trump campaign has dismissed some of the polling about Harris’ surge, attributing it to a “honeymoon” now enjoyed by the vice president, who is her party’s formal nominee. His campaign acknowledges that polling still shows a close race in the battleground states but denies that Trump is losing in those key places.
