Trump can still beat Harris, but he should focus on his terrible record

Due to Donald Trump’s severe obsession with himself, he has not been able to expose and exploit Kamala Harris’ weaknesses.

If Sun Tzu is right that there is opportunity in the midst of chaos, then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is effortlessly creating chaos and squandering a golden opportunity.

At the end of August, with more than two months left in the campaign, the former president is losing an election he could have won. Why? Four reasons.

Trump is left behind because he lacks discipline

According to national polls, Trump is slightly behind Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Of course, polls tell only part of the electoral story and can change as November approaches. Even in Texas, where I live (a deeply Republican state), Trump’s lead has narrowed. Some polls show him with a lead of only about 5 percentage points.

Trump’s biggest obstacle is not President Joe Biden, Vice President Harris or his running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Trump’s biggest obstacle is Trump.

I’ve heard Trump speak hundreds of times. Reporting a press conference is a nightmare because Trump can’t commit to the self-discipline required to prepare in advance, boil down his thoughts to a handful of punchy talking points, and then convincingly answer questions about what his administration would look like.

From the Democratic National Convention: Harris was totally herself in her acceptance speech. That should worry Trump.

Trump insists on coming across as an idiot. I’m not saying he is, but he sounds like one. His thoughts and ideas flow with a stream of consciousness that makes William Faulkner sound like a nursery rhyme. He jumps from one idea to another like a hip-hop artist doing an Olympic-level break-dancing routine.

As a result, he is unable to make a solid case for anything – and politics is nothing if not the art of persuasion – even though he actually has a record showing that he accomplished good things for the United States during his previous administration.

Unlike Harris, Trump can campaign on his record. He can show that as president he supported religious freedom, cut taxes and nominated qualified jurists to the Supreme Court.

But when he talks about his record or his plans for a second term, it’s a confusing, jumbled mess of words. My kids have made a more compelling case for what they want for dinner than Trump has made for the American public to re-elect him.

I was relieved to see that Trump has recruited the talented and articulate former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii to help him prepare for the presidential debates. Gabbard harshly criticized Harris in a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate. I can only hope that Trump uses Gabbard’s experience so he can appear more prepared when he debates Harris next month. But I would be surprised if he actually listened to Gabbard.

Trump loves himself more than he loves America

Trump also falls behind because he loves himself more than he really loves America. Despite his new debate coach, the former president’s campaign is mostly about himself. It’s not really about making America great again. It’s not about promoting conservatism, aside from a few policy ideas. It’s more about inflating Trump’s already overinflated ego.

Trump’s personality does not allow him to accept advice or learn from his mistakes. Only people who accept responsibility for their behavior can find the courage to ask for help and truly listen to it.

Democrats are a dishonest mess. DNC casts Obama and Clinton to manipulate voters over Harris

At times, Trump is down-to-earth and patriotic: Who can forget the image of him pumping his fist in the air as blood streamed down his face after an assassination attempt nearly killed him? In that moment, he displayed incredible bravery.

But more often than not, Trump appears incredibly self-absorbed.

Even after nearly being assassinated, Trump returned to posting rants on Truth Social like a 9-year-old having a tantrum.

Instead of being disciplined, strategic and precise, he is unstable. At times he is confident, charismatic and interesting, and at other times he is frenetic, mean and boastful.

Trump’s own history haunts him

When Democrats give me their opinions on Trump, the things they mention most are Trump’s character flaws, including his sordid history with women and his numerous legal problems. Those are the things that come to people’s minds when they see Trump’s name on their television screen.

Trump has been charged in four criminal cases. While some of his legal troubles are overblown and exaggerated — such as his conviction for bribery to buy his silence, which elevated a misdemeanor to a felony based on a novel legal theory — they still demonstrate a pattern of making bad decisions and skirting the law. Not all of the charges can be blamed on gun-toting government bureaucrats working against him.

Trump has repeatedly behaved like a misogynist. He has been dishonest when he should have told the truth. He has not lived in a manner worthy of an American president. Those flaws have repelled many Americans who might have voted for a stronger Republican candidate.

Trump falls behind because he can’t focus on Harris

Trump’s biggest problem is his inability to focus on his opponent in a serious way. Because of his deep self-obsession, he has been unable to expose and exploit Harris’s weaknesses.

On Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention, Harris’s slick acceptance speech proved her to be a formidable, if terrifying, opponent. Harris is terrifying because, with a relaxed tone and a quick smile, she proposes socialist policies that would further burden already struggling Americans.

His running mate, Tim Walz, has a record that makes California Gov. Gavin Newsom look almost like a moderate. The Democratic Party is campaigning on promises it has already broken after four years of Harris and Biden leading the nation. Its biggest weakness is the failure to keep past promises. Trump should take advantage of that every second of every day.

But instead of spending an entire press conference criticizing Harris or Walz’s terrible record, Trump loses focus. Next thing you know, he’s reminiscing about a moment he spent at Mar-a-Lago with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a “beautiful couch.”

They would be minor distractions if they happened once in a while, and they might seem endearing because they make him seem like a normal person, but they happen all the time.

Trump’s inability to stay focused while speaking fits into a broader pattern of his failure to devote significant amounts of time and energy to criticizing Harris’s terrible record.

The Republican Party cannot afford to let Trump remain a clueless, self-centered communicator, incapable of delivering Harris’s terrifying policy ideas. A Harris presidency would plunge the country into a level of leftism we have never seen and may never recover from.

Trump must somehow find a way to do better. He is squandering a huge opportunity in an election that is still winnable.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four children. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox..

Breaking

Trump can still beat Harris, but he should focus on his terrible record

ByS. Jacob

Due to Donald Trump’s severe obsession with himself, he has not been able to expose and exploit Kamala Harris’ weaknesses.

Trump is left behind because he lacks discipline

Trump loves himself more than he loves America

Trump’s own history haunts him

Trump falls behind because he can’t focus on Harris

By S. Jacob

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