Donald Trump has been throwing a prolonged tantrum, as he struggles to accept that he is no longer running against President Joe Biden.
The former president and convicted felon has become increasingly distressed at the state of his campaign, according to a Washington Post report published Thursday.
As Vice President Kamala Harris has relaunched the Democratic Party’s campaign, Trump saw his fundraising edge dissipate under the shadow of her $310 million influx in July. At the same time, his campaign has struggled to find its footing in the new matchup, leaving some close to the campaign wondering how it was possible they were so ill prepared, according to the Post.
After flying so high at the Republican National Convention in July, it seems that Trump has had a hard time adjusting to the fact that his fight is not over.
“It’s unfair that I beat him and now I have to beat her too,” Trump told an ally in a phone call last weekend, according to the Post.
Trump has reportedly been complaining nonstop about Harris’s surging media coverage and positive polling, which has since seen her rise above Trump in crucial national polls. Trump has also been anxiously asking his friends how they feel about his campaign, according to five people close to the campaign who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity.
The Republican nominee has also reportedly been getting flack from friends and allies over his performance at recent events. Last month, Trump made a disastrous appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists, which quickly devolved into a hostile performance rife with racist responses and caused his team to pull him offstage early, sending Republicans spiraling over what to do next.
People familiar with the inner workings of the campaign have said there has, surprisingly, been little chaos as a result of the other team’s sudden upheaval. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told the Post that any allies or advisers who were questioning the campaign were “unnamed sources who have no idea what they are talking about and are doing nothing but helping Democrats.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s nostalgia for his low-energy run against Biden is tangible. The former president took to Truth Social Tuesday night to fantasize about the Democratic National Convention, inventing a version in which Biden swoops in and steals the nomination back from Harris.
Now Trump’s race is very different. It requires a much more sophisticated ground game, which his campaign has yet to put together—and even his allies are noticing.
Conservative radio host Erick Erickson wrote on X Thursday, “Forget the money and ads, the Democrats’ ground game is far surpassing the GOP ground game. They’ve been registering new voters and farming for absentee ballots with paid operatives, some of whom are making up to $40 an hour. The GOP has nothing at that level.”
Trump is much more used to doing one major event a week. This week, as his running mate J.D. Vance hit the road, Trump stayed home in Florida to fundraise and do interviews. After months of campaigning, it’s unclear whether Trump has the stamina to carry his campaign to November.
