Commentary: Big Tent Ideas

CARLY ATCHISON BIRD: Trump Needs A New Playbook … Fast

Former President Donald Trump campaigning in Bozeman, Mont., Aug. 9, 2024. (Screen Capture/CSPAN)

Since Democrats replaced President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris as their candidate, blue state voters who had once accepted the inevitable victory of former President Donald Trump have been resurrected. Harris’ selection of the most liberal governor in America, Tim Walz of Minnesota, has motivated liberals to get off the sidelines and into the action with unmatched rigor and enthusiasm.

The Harris-Walz campaign raised an eye-popping $310 million in July, has pulled ahead of Trump in key swing states and completely flipped the script on Republicans in just two months.

At the end of the third quarter, here is the state of play: Republicans were up big for the first half and were running up the scoreboard, but the Democrats switched out their quarterback, are running a completely new offense and have tied it up. The referees are not calling a fair game. It is now the fourth — and final — quarter.

Republicans: It’s time for a new playbook.

The clock is ticking.

Voting begins in September, which means we have about one month, not 84 days. By mid-October, over 50% of the voting will be done with, making the effectiveness of massive TV buys after that date or an “October surprise” less impactful than in past elections. In Pennsylvania, for instance, voters can head to the polls as early as Sept. 16.

The Trump campaign needs an aggressive spending strategy combined with an aggressive travel schedule in the battleground states with a focus on moderate and independent voters. They are missing the mark.

Currently, the former president is scheduled to hold just two events as the Democratic National Convention is held in Chicago, a four-day rally which the media will cover nonstop.

Harris, who just four years ago was the worst Democrat candidate in the field, has been “reintroduced” as a competitive candidate, thanks in large part to the legacy media. She has been given a pass for her too-many-to-list flip flops, her blatant refusal to sit down for an interview, and her non-existent policy agenda.

The same reporters who declare “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” accept background statements from campaign staffers with a smile, praise her for copying Trump’s proposal to stop taxing tips, and focus their ire for five days on a decade-old comment from the Republican vice-presidential, Sen. J.D. Vance. But does a winning strategy for Republicans rely on the media to be fair? We should know better — and strategize accordingly.

Forget about national earned media coverage. Presidential elections are not popularity contests anyway, as the Trump campaign well knows. Focus on local markets in battleground states and invest heavily in paid media instead.

To that point, the Trump-Vance campaign must stick to a clear, concise message. Irrelevant back-and-forths with the media are distracting and unhelpful to the ultimate goal of swaying voters. The winning message is simple: Were you better off under President Trump than you are today under the Biden-Harris administration?

Turnout among the Republican base is critical. But elections are won by voters in the middle, not the base. Stay focused on the top two issues for those persuadables: the economy and immigration. Hammer home soaring inflation and the untenable cost-of-living.

Continue to label the current vice president the failed border czar who for last three years has put the safety of the American people last. Label Harris the “San Francisco Democrat” who supports banning fracking, eliminating private health insurance, defunding the police, and caves to the far-left on every issue. Hang the impending war in the Middle East and global instability squarely on her shoulders; the world is more dangerous thanks to the Biden-Harris administration.

Wash, rinse and repeat until every cable news talking head can recite the GOP message word-for-word.

Do not get distracted by what the Harris-Walz campaign is or is not doing. We need to get back on offense. Playing defense for the next month is a losing strategy. And please, stop attacking other Republicans. Victory is not possible without party unification. Every dollar, every voice, every vote is critical to our cause. Bring back the energy that radiated at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Kudos to Vance for his Sunday media blitz in which he fearlessly confronted hostility and relentlessly stayed on-message. Credit is also due to Trump for getting the one-on-one Sept. 10 debate with Kamala Harris finalized.

He dominated the last debate, and can do so again, providing Republicans an opportunity to get the conversation back to the issues and nail her on her flip flops. Plus, without a teleprompter, it is all but certain Harris will offer another incoherent word salad and remind the American people of how unprepared she is to serve as president of the United States.

There is a path to victory for Donald Trump. But relying on fair media coverage and utilizing the same strategy designed for Joe Biden against Kamala Harris is risky and clearly has not kept the momentum for Republicans.

They simply cannot take anything for granted. Too much is at stake.

Carly Atchison Bird is the former national spokeswoman for the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign. She is the founder and president of Bird’s Eye Consulting and lives in Virginia Beach.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screen Capture/CSPAN)