Trump Gets 2 More Warnings From the Right

Wall Street Journal editorial says he's on track for 'historic repudiation'
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 26, 2020 2:10 PM CDT
Journal Editorial Warns Trump of 'Historic Repudiation'
President Trump leaves the stage after speaking at an event at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Thursday, June 25, 2020, in Marinette, Wis.   (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

President Trump continues to receive warnings from the right about the November election. The latest come from longtime GOP strategist Karl Rove and from the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal. “Let’s be honest about it: The president is behind today,” Rove told Fox News on Friday, per Politico. In Rove's view, the most important thing Trump can do is put together a tangible second-term agenda. In a Fox town hall Thursday night, Trump was asked about that, but offered what Politico describes as a "meandering" answer in which he talked about how he didn't know many people in DC in 2016, and now knows everybody. Says Rove: “You can’t win unless you’ve got a disciplined, focused campaign strategy,” he said. “And these polls point to the president and his team needing to reexamine what they’re doing and come up with a better game plan.”

The Journal editorial has much harsher language. Trump is on track for "what could be an historic repudiation that would take the Republican Senate down with him," warn the editors. "As of now Mr. Trump has no second-term agenda, or even a message beyond four more years of himself," they write. Their advice: Zero in on the economy, where Trump could have a clear advantage over Joe Biden. "An agenda to revive the economy after the pandemic, and restore the gains for workers of his first three years, would appeal to millions," they write. At the moment, Trump seems incapable of the discipline necessary to make a coherent case. "If that’s true he should understand that he is headed for a defeat that will reward all of those who schemed against him in 2016." (Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan also laid into Trump on Friday.)

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