As Trump fumes, Republicans wince at ‘public nervous breakdown’

Donald Trump spent Monday morning labeling the turmoil in the global financial markets the “Kamala Crash," giving Republicans hope that he might turn his focus to an economic message.

It didn’t last. By midday, the former president was already back to re-litigating his controversial appearance in Chicago last week, where he questioned Kamala Harris’ Black identity and suggested a major network journalist should be fired — “I didn’t know who she was, she was nasty,” he told a livestreamer.

And if Trump had an opening to hit Harris on the economy, it was unclear even to leaders of his own party if he could sustain it.

Republicans on Monday reeled from Trump's undisciplined approach to the opening stages of his new general election matchup with Harris — following a weekend that saw him praise Russian leader Vladimir Putin while smearing Harris as “low IQ,” and “dumb” and attacking a popular swing-state GOP governor whose turnout operation he may need in November.

“This is what you would call a public nervous breakdown,” said Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and former Trump administration appointee. “This is a guy who cut through the Republican primary like a knife through butter. This is a guy who pummeled a semi-conscious president in a debate and literally out of a race. And now this is a guy who cannot come to grips with a competitive presidential race that would require discipline and effective messaging. And we’re seeing a candidate and a campaign absolutely melt down.”

Republicans who saw their party lose the White House and both chambers of Congress during Trump’s presidency have worried before about Trump’s lack of discipline. But Trump’s venting now comes at a critical point in the election, with Harris surpassing him in fundraising and gaining ground in some battleground state polls.

“Democrats are racing to remake Kamala Harris from real life Selina Meyer into the female Obama — and Donald Trump’s lack of discipline is letting them,” said a national Republican strategist who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “Every day Trump swipes at shiny objects — attacking the popular governor of a swing state, questioning the race of his opponent, or battling cat lady comments by his VP — is a day he is letting Harris define herself on her own terms.”

Trump on Saturday uncorked on Georgia Republicans, including Gov. Brian Kemp, calling him “a bad guy.” Reacting to that rally message, former Georgia Republican Party leader John Watson said: “Attacking Brian Kemp and his family is a galactic, unforced error.”

“Among battleground voters, we win if we have the discipline to contrast on policy and we lose if voters decide on likability. Really, really simple,” he added.

A Trump campaign official, granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy, said the former president’s Monday effort to yoke Harris and the Biden administration to market instability and unrest in the Middle East did not amount to a shift in tactics, but was a complement to his other suite of attacks. Asked if Trump should focus entirely on going after Harris’ policy vulnerabilities, rather than going after her personal traits or Republicans like Kemp, the official said that Trump can do it all.

“The president is good at pushing multiple messages at the same time,” the official said, noting that Trump and his team were also criticized early on for mocking President Joe Biden’s physical and cognitive condition — and were urged by some to stick to bashing his policy. “We can walk and chew gum at the same time on this campaign.”

Similarly, Trump’s Republican allies sought to play down his feud with Kemp.

"Just like Thanksgiving or family reunions in the South, sometimes family members don't always get along, but we still look forward to seeing them at next year's function and we don't love them any less,” said Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.). “The priority for all Georgia Republicans must absolutely be getting Trump across the finish line in November. Hopefully, at some point, we can get the personalities to reconcile, but in the meantime, Americans are suffering and dying from bad policies, not mean tweets."

Trump going off book and attacking fellow Republicans — and the resulting intra-party heartburn — is hardly new for GOP lawmakers. The fact that they're mostly staying quiet is in line with many Republicans’ long-standing practice of grumbling privately while downplaying concerns in public. Still, the agitation within the party this time appeared to cut deeper than before, dashing some Republicans' hopes that the ex-president was exercising more discipline after his 2020 loss.

And Kemp wasn’t the only Trump-endorsing Republican governor that the former president went after in recent days. On Friday, Trump fired off multiple Truth Social posts excoriating Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, the chair of the Republican Governors Association, for being a “RINO.” Lee’s sin, according to Trump, was that he had months ago endorsed an incumbent GOP state senator, while Trump had more recently endorsed the challenger.

Trump’s posts left Lee’s aides “baffled,” and appeared to come “out of nowhere,” according to a person with knowledge of their reaction who was granted anonymity to speak freely. Lee, who initially stayed neutral in the Republican presidential primary, citing his role as RGA chair, quickly endorsed Trump after his Super Tuesday victories in Tennessee and elsewhere, and praised Trump onstage at the GOP convention just last month.

“Lee is going to vote for him, Tennessee is going to vote for him, whatever,” said a Republican strategist in Tennessee. “It’s just indicative of a total lack of focus on the point.”

Trump’s attacks on his fellow Republicans came in concert with coarsening fusillades on Harris’ intellect, calling her “low IQ” and “dumb” just days after he had questioned her Black identity in an appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists.

On Monday, even as he tried to shift the conversation back to the economy, Trump waded back into familiar territory, telling the livestreamer Adin Ross that ABC’s Rachel Scott, who participated in the NABJ panel, should be fired.

“It was like a booby trap,” Trump said of Scott’s question at the NABJ conference.

During the 90-minute live stream, Trump also suggested Venezuela will soon move “all of their criminals into the US,” said Kanye West is “a really nice guy, but he can get himself into trouble,” compared Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to Eva Perón and listened to Elvis in a Tesla Cyber Truck adorned with a picture of the former president.

“I think we are long past the time where we thought he could maybe rein in his worst angels and he's going to keep doing this and no amount of polling data or advice from people close to him will change him,” said Barrett Marson, an Arizona-based Republican strategist. “He's a 78-year-old guy stuck in his ways. And this has been his way for decades.”

Irie Sentner contributed to this report.