Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has repeatedly targeted his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, with personal attacks, criticizing her appearance and race. Despite advice to focus on policy issues, Trump has continued to employ these tactics, a move that some of his allies believe could jeopardize his campaign.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, recently expressed concern that while Trump could potentially defeat Harris on policy grounds, his penchant for provocative rhetoric might undermine his chances of returning to the White House. Speaking on Meet the Press, Graham emphasized that positioning himself as a “provocateur” could be a significant obstacle for Trump, as reported by Mediaite.
During the discussion, moderator Kristen Welker referenced Nikki Haley’s earlier comments urging Trump and the Republican Party to focus on winning rather than complaining. Haley, during an appearance on Special Report with Bret Baier, had stated, “What Donald Trump needs to do is go out there and campaign every single day, telling the American people exactly what Kamala Harris has said.
We are 80-plus days out. We need him to win, but you’ve got to go out and do the work.” Haley further cautioned that the campaign wouldn’t succeed by focusing on Harris’s race, intelligence, or crowd sizes, arguing, “The American people are smart. Treat them like they’re smart.” When asked by Welker if he agreed with Haley’s perspective, Graham concurred.
“I don’t look at Vice President Kamala Harris as a lunatic,” Graham said. “I look at her as the most liberal person to be nominated for president in the history of the United States.” He stressed that a policy-focused debate would be more challenging for Harris, stating, “A nightmare for Harris is to defend her policy choices”, as reported by the New York Post.
Graham argued that Trump could win the election if he concentrated on policy rather than theatrics. “President Trump can win this election. If you have a policy debate, he wins. Donald Trump the provocateur, the showman, may not win this election,” he said. Graham emphasized that pressing Harris on her record would put Democrats on the defensive, noting, “Every day we’re not talking about her policy choices… is a good day for her and a bad day for us. Policy is the key to the White House.”
Despite this advice, Trump has justified his personal attacks on Harris, claiming, “I think I’m entitled to personal attacks. I don’t have a lot of respect for her.” Trump argued that Harris had used the justice system against him, adding, “They want me to be nice. But they’re not being nice to me. They want to put me in prison,” as reported by Politico.