Republican strategist Karl Rove, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, said former President Trump “can’t waste a single one” of the three months remaining until Election Day as Vice President Harris has increased her lead in recent polls since announcing her bid.
Rove argued against Trump’s attacks on Harris in the op-ed, saying the former president needs to be disciplined and that he should focus on policy rather than personal attacks.
“If he isn’t disciplined enough to drive home clear, precise lines of attack—and chooses instead to entertain audiences with his usual, off-color riffing—that will be a misspent news cycle he’ll never get back,” Rove wrote.
“Even if Mr. Trump’s ads are good, his most outrageous comments will dominate the news cycle,” he continued.
He even called for a Trump “reset,” as the former president continues to fumble with messaging on the vice president and hasn’t thoroughly gone after Harris’s record.
In a previous interview, Rove outlined what both Trump and Harris should do to continue to boost their campaigns. He said it would be “critical” for Harris to “re[frame] herself.”
He said in that interview that Trump could also frame who Harris is, which could help him regain control of the race.
Rove also wrote in his op-ed of the challenges faced by Harris.
The Biden administration has poor favoarability ratings, and Rove said it woud be a stretch for Harris to distance herself from it.
“The Biden-Harris administration’s approval numbers on inflation, the economy, immigration, foreign policy, and crime are all in the mid-30% range,” Rove wrote.
“It’ll be hard for her to escape responsibility for this record,” he continued.
Rove concluded that both presidential candidates are in challenging positions as they struggle to attack each other based on their records.