by Mike Smith It has been a dismal month for Donald Trump’s presidential aspirations and for the political prospects of the party whose nomination he has all but secured. First, Trump’s campaign gets sidetracked with controversial issues that are of the candidate’s own making. He picks a fight with a judge who rules against him in a court case involving fraud charges against Trump University, and also with Governor Susana Martinez, a popular Republican governor who doesn’t support him. He later decided to weigh in on the Orlando nightclub massacre but then utters a string of confusing statements that undermine his already dubious leadership credentials and even his support from the National Rifle Association.
In addition, it is revealed that Trump’s fundraising has been atrocious. Although he claims he can self-fund a presidential run, he also has said he is expecting financial help from Republicans — help that so far is being withheld because he has yet to demonstrate the ability to expand beyond his base support. And it is through the fundraising capabilities of the party’s presidential candidate that the state-by-state field operations of the party are largely funded, making local party leaders very nervous. Without those funds, not only will Trump’s campaign suffer, but all Republican candidates will be negatively impacted, too.
Then last week he fired his campaign manager, Cory Lewandowski, the architect of the strategy to “let Trump be Trump” with the explanation that the campaign needs to go in a different direction. This could prove to the greatest understatement of the campaign.
With disapproval ratings sky high at 70 percent in a recent poll, there’s no doubt the campaign needs to go in a different direction, and fast. But what does that really mean? Does it mean Trump will no longer be Trump, and if he isn’t Trump, then just who is he?
Donald Trump has yet to articulate a consistent set of core beliefs or values. Absent that, there will be many who will continue to question his intentions. Certainly many conservatives are convinced he is not a conservative. He never expressed a single conservative value before his presidential campaign — and even said he was a Democrat. If he gets into political hot water — conservatives are convinced — he will change his positions. Centrist Republicans view him as a dangerous bully with extreme tendencies that jeopardize the breadth and depth of the Republican coalition.
The truth is no one really know who Donald Trump is; what he believes in; or his positions on the issues of the day. Instead, he has advanced a slew of ideas that seem to be more about capitalizing on current events and playing on the fears of many Americans.
But luckily for Donald Trump, even with these political hindrances, he is still relatively close to the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, in some national polls, although he has been losing ground to her. This should worry the Democrats mightily. Hillary Clinton is not a strong or likeable candidate. A recent poll had her pegged with a 55 percent disapproval rating. Although better than Trump’s, this has to be a major concern for her campaign. The public questions her honesty and this undermines trust in her. These are major issues for any campaign.
Donald Trump is squandering precious time in his campaign — time he needs to define himself, define his opponent, coalesce the Republican coalition, appeal to independents and raise money. Right now his opponents are having a field day defining him as a bigot, racist and sexist, and his rhetoric makes him an easy target for such accusations. He needs to be a disciplined candidate with a disciplined campaign, and yet, there is little discipline in how the candidate acts or in how the campaign makes its decisions.
Perhaps being undisciplined is what it means when one says, “let Donald Trump be Donald Trump.” If that is the case then he will never be a good candidate, and more importantly, he will never be a good president.
It’s time for Trump to step up or step out. If he can’t demonstrate his capacity to be a respectable, competitive candidate and a capable president in the weeks ahead, he should step out and let convention delegates nominate someone who can run a credible campaign. Otherwise, he will harm the Republican Party, perhaps beyond repair. The question is: Does he care?
Mike Smith was secretary of administration and secretary of human services under former Gov. Jim Douglas. He is the host of the radio program, “Open Mike with Mike Smith,” on WDEV 550 AM and 96.1, 96.5 and 101.9 FM. He is also a political analyst for WCAX-TV and WVMT radio and is a regular contributor to the Times Argus, Rutland Herald and Vermont Business Magazine.