Donald Trump is in a “real fragile state, narcissism-wise,” as Republicans leak that his rallies are hurting their candidates.
Salon’s Amanda Marcotte made the comment on The New Republic’s “Daily Blast” podcast with host Greg Sargent, one day before the midterm elections. The pair were discussing Trump’s furious exchange with a reporter who asked why he had canceled his final red-state rallies, including a stop in Kansas, and whether he was feeling well.
Trump lashed out. “I feel perfect. You are disgusting. Put yourself in shape. You look like hell,” he told the reporter before bringing back the rallies.
Sargent believes the outburst was telling and that any suggestion that Trump was pulling back because his power is fading, he said, threatens the mystique his movement is built on.
Marcotte agreed, saying Trump cannot tolerate being seen as weak, tired or unpopular. She pointed to a recent New York Times report on how Trump has shut out anyone bringing him bad news, and said he is left with a small circle, including aide Natalie Harp, assuring him he is wildly popular.
According to the Times, Republicans in several states have struggled to get word to the White House that they would rather Trump stay away, because his unpopular policies and tanking approval ratings are costing them with swing voters.
Marcotte said his rally appearances have dragged down candidates in the polls, yet they still won’t turn him down, even as he mocks them onstage in their own states. She gave an example of Trump calling Texas Republican Ken Paxton ugly and made fun of Ohio Sen. Jon Husted while the two stood by and smiled.
Sargent observed that Trump stays angry until a crowd starts cheering. Marcotte also summed up how she feels about Trump’s declining popularity, stating:
“I think that maybe some, but I also get the strong sense that because he’s a lame duck, a lot of the people that have been like riding for him hard for the past decade are starting to slowly peel off and go away. I mean, his rallies have gotten a lot smaller.”
Politico recently spoke with more than a dozen Republican lawmakers, many of whom said Trump’s days of dictating outcomes with Truth Social posts and late-night phone calls could be ending. One senior Republican warned it “could be quite a brutal evening” on Tuesday.
Sargent said he could not remember Republicans leaking like this so close to an election, though he warned that the Senate races could still go either way.
Some Republicans are already bracing for Trump to blame them. One lawmaker told Politico that nobody expects Trump to accept responsibility for a loss. Marcotte said his rally speeches and Truth Social posts are already fixated on finding someone else to blame, including Fox News.