Following Donald Trump’s widely criticized debate performance on Tuesday, some Republicans have labeled it a “missed opportunity” and a “trainwreck.” Former Trump White House correspondent Brian Karem believes this marks the beginning of a brutal political fight for Trump — one that could spell trouble for the GOP.
Karem observed that Vice President Kamala Harris baited Trump into making a bizarre claim about immigrants eating Americans’ pets, a moment that has since gone viral. This, Karem argues, has left Trump more “damaged” than ever as a candidate, told Salon.
In his Salon column, Karem compared the Republicans’ current predicament to the Democrats’ situation after Joe Biden’s difficult debate performance against Trump, where critics said Biden seemed old and confused. However, Democrats were able to shift their momentum before their convention by rallying behind Harris.
“Trump is seen as old, out of touch and delusional,” Karem wrote. “When Harris mentioned that Trump was still having a hard time processing’ the fact that he lost the last election, too many people she was speaking directly to a loss of mental capacity.”
He continued, describing Trump as “a crushed lunatic. A cornered sewer rat,” particularly after Harris pointed out that 200 former Republicans, including key figures from Trump’s own administration, had endorsed her. Trump’s only response was to claim they were “all bad people.”
Karem warns that Trump’s increasingly erratic behavior makes him — and his fervent supporters — dangerous, putting Republicans in a precarious position. He highlighted that unlike Democrats, who could pivot before their convention, Republicans are now “stuck” with Trump as their candidate with no easy way to switch gears.
“The Republicans themselves understand the desperation,” Karem wrote. “Though they are at the same place the Democrats were in June, they are well past their national convention and cannot switch candidates as easily as the Democrats did after Biden’s lackluster performance.”
In his concluding thoughts, Karem cautioned, “That makes Trump and his minions more dangerous by the day,” urging the public to “be wary of that sewer rat.” With the GOP’s chances to maintain control of the Senate or the House dwindling, Karem predicts the road ahead will be filled with increasing desperation from Trump and his followers.