Former Obama White House adviser David Axelrod trashed Donald Trump’s final pitch to voters, saying his closing arguments have left Republicans “frustrated.”
The Democratic political strategist argued that the former president’s inability to stay organized and on message in the final days of his campaign is troubling his supporters and supporting Kamala Harris’ campaign messaging.
“... The vice president [is] talking about how unhinged and vengeful and so on Trump is. He is actually abetting her message in the final week, that’s going to make Republicans uncomfortable,” he said on CNN Saturday. “I’m sure they would love him to stay tethered to that prompter a bit more and deliver the message that they think will help him win this election.”
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The former president recently came under fire for telling supporters he wouldn’t “mind” a person shooting “through the fake news” at a rally, a comment his campaign walked back. And, last week, he mused about Liz Cheney having guns “trained on her face.”
The political strategist said Trump is not “closing well,” adding that Harris is closing in a “much more disciplined way.”
His remarks came the same day as a report claiming a senior adviser to Trump became so frustrated his veering off his campaign messaging on key issues that she told the GOP presidential nominee “this can’t go on.”
As for Harris, the vice president’s final pitch to voters has centered around unity and promises of a “brighter future” free of “fear and division.” During her closing message to voters she pledged to be a “president for all Americans.”
Though Axelrod has been critical of Harris' White House bid, snubbing her performance at a CNN town hall in October on the grounds that she spoke in a “word salad,” he applauded her approach ahead of Election Day.
“She has been criticized for being too cautious, but being disciplined in the final 72 hours is really an advantage if you are on message,” he said. “Being disciplined in these final 72 hours is really an advantage.”
