Supporters are increasingly concerned about Donald Trump’s leadership capabilities as he struggles to maintain composure amid Kamala Harris’s rising prominence.
Some of Trump’s supporters are now questioning whether the former president is fit to lead the country—a concern that previously forced President Joe Biden to step back from the race for the White House.
With just over two months until Election Day, Trump continues to deliver chaotic, disjointed, and sometimes inaccurate statements during his nationwide campaign rallies. Instead of focusing on his policy agenda, the former president seems to invest excessive time and energy into attacking his opponent.
While such statements are nothing new for both his supporters and critics, the anxiety is mounting as Trump faces a fresh challenge from Vice President Kamala Harris, who is garnering significant support.
Trump’s frustration has intensified as his polling advantage over President Biden has evaporated in the face of Harris. The Democratic candidate’s strategy of mocking rather than engaging in direct debate appears to have further enraged the former president, according to observers.
Since Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, Trump has faced backlash for his personal attacks on her, including derisive comments about her laughter, which he compared to that of “a mad person.” The former president also labeled Harris as “stupid,” later telling CBS that he meant no offense, calling it “just the truth.”
“I don’t think she’s smart. That’s how I feel. I mean, I think that’s true. I think I’m very smart, and a lot of people say that,” Trump stated.
Trump has also shown a particular obsession with the crowd sizes at Harris’s campaign events, leading him to make false claims that the Vice President used artificial intelligence (AI) to fake attendance numbers.
When not preoccupied with crowd sizes, Trump has targeted Harris’s appearance. After Harris appeared on the cover of Time magazine, Trump even compared her to his wife and then to himself.
“I’m better looking than Kamala,” he declared to thousands of supporters.
In recent months, Trump has sought to attract Black voters to gain an edge in key battleground states. However, he has undermined his own efforts by questioning whether Vice President Harris is truly Black during an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists, leaving nearly everyone in the room stunned.
Vice President Harris has a mother from India and a father from Jamaica. She has always identified as Black while proudly embracing her Indian heritage.
Trump has also proclaimed himself as “the best president for Black Americans since Abraham Lincoln.”
Even some of the former president’s most loyal supporters are beginning to feel uneasy about his personal attacks on others.
Two weeks ago, Joan Long traveled with her husband, Billy, from New York to Pennsylvania to hear Trump speak. Joan expressed a desire for Trump to “stop talking about Harris’s appearance.”
Top Republicans share similar concerns. Senator Lindsey Graham has urged Trump to focus on issues that benefit him, such as the economy or border management.
Nikki Haley, a former Republican presidential candidate who initially criticized Trump’s qualifications before endorsing him, stated that Trump “won’t be able to win if he keeps talking about Kamala Harris’s race” or calling her “stupid.”
Kevin McCarthy, the former Republican House Speaker, suggested that Trump should stop making the race a matter of personal character and “stop questioning the Vice President’s crowd sizes.”
Nevertheless, Trump persists. He told reporters he was “very angry” with Harris for calling him “a freak” and claimed he had “the right to attack his opponent personally” due to his “anger over what she has done to the country.
All of this contrasts sharply with Trump’s behavior following his victory in the debate with Biden in June. He had heeded advice to restrain personal attacks and allowed public scrutiny to question the current President’s capabilities.
The assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania in July significantly boosted his standing. Polls have shown Trump gaining ground, and his advisory team has openly expressed optimism about a decisive victory in November.
However, the strong momentum of Vice President Harris has brought out the “old Trump,” as noted by commentator Chris McGreal from The Guardian.
With public skepticism about President Biden’s mental sharpness, Trump suggested that all presidential candidates should undergo cognitive tests. When CBS News asked if he had taken such a test himself, Trump recently claimed he had scored “perfectly” on two cognitive assessments.
Yet many Americans remain unconvinced. A recent poll by JL Partners, a London-based market research firm, revealed that confidence in Trump’s ability to absorb information in national security meetings, maintain focus in meetings, and remember world leaders’ names has sharply declined since March.
