Former President Donald Trump is increasingly frustrated by his inability to land effective attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, CNN analyst Stephen Collinson wrote Tuesday. As a result, Trump is expected to escalate his rhetoric with a “brutal” onslaught in the coming months, possibly more aggressive than anything seen so far.
Collinson noted that Trump’s efforts to undermine Harris’s credibility and image as a force for change have not yielded the desired results. “Trump is not simply being true to his ill-disciplined self,” Collinson wrote. “He’s illustrating his struggle to respond to Harris’ transformation of the race.” Harris has managed to separate herself from her role in the Biden administration, presenting a “fresher option” compared to her 78-year-old GOP rival, which has left Trump’s camp feeling frustrated.
“Increasingly brazen attempts to puncture Harris’ bubble of hope also betray frustration in the Trump camp that she’s managing to distinguish herself from her boss,” Collinson added. Trump’s strategy shows that “there’s almost nothing he won’t do to win.”
In his analysis, Collinson warned that the next two months are likely to see some of the “most hardline political rhetoric in years” from Trump, as he works to turn the race in his favor. “It may make some sense for Trump to throw everything he can think of at Harris,” he wrote, noting that in two previous elections, Trump has never won more than 49% of the vote in key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. As a result, Trump may be betting on tearing down Harris’s appeal to small but critical groups of persuadable voters in these states, rather than trying to win over new supporters.
However, this approach carries risks for Trump. His attacks on Harris over the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, for example, backfired when he sparked controversy by giving a thumbs-up at Arlington Cemetery. Collinson suggested this incident “could bolster Harris’ warnings that Americans are pining for a chance to leave the bitterness and chaos of the Trump era behind.”
In conclusion, Collinson emphasized that while Trump’s intense political offensive could make things difficult for Harris in the months ahead, it also reflects his failure so far to define her negatively. “His early efforts to negatively define her have not worked,” Collinson wrote, pointing to favorable polling for Harris both nationally and in key swing states.