2016 sequel? Trump's old attacks failing to land on Biden
AP News
The president’s attempts to recycle attacks he used on Hillary Clinton that year have so far failed to effectively damage Democrat Joe Biden. And Trump has found himself dwelling more and more in the conservative media echo chamber, talking to an increasingly smaller portion of the electorate.
Fueled by personal grievance, the president has tried to amplify stories that diehard Fox News viewers know by heart but have not broken through to a broader public consumed with the sole issue that has defined the campaign: the president’s management of the pandemic. Though firing up his base to turn out in huge numbers is a vital part of his campaign’s strategy, Trump’s insistence on fighting the last war has sounded alarms within the Republican party.
“There’s probably no reason to change in his mind when he surrounds himself in an echo chamber where everyone always tells him he’s doing great and he’s always in front of adoring crowds who are cheering for him,” said Brendan Buck, a former top adviser to Republican House Speakers Paul Ryan and John Boehner. “They’re running a campaign that tries to recreate the energy from before and there are many other factors that make that a fraught path to reelection.”
In recent days, Trump’s campaign has tried to weaponize potentially hacked emails about Biden. Trump’s inner circle has been largely whittled down to the familiar faces of four years ago. A fundraising email sent late Friday was entitled “Lock her up,” the rallying cry against Clinton.
Oftentimes, it feels as though Trump is simply recycling old material.
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