One Republican strategist who has run campaigns against says he recognizes what the former president is doing against Vice President , even as Trump swings back and forth between and .
It's what he's done against other opponents.
鈥淗e figures out what their perceived weakness is and drills down on it,鈥� said Terry Sullivan, who was a senior adviser to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio鈥檚 2016 Republican presidential campaign. 鈥淗e鈥檚 spending a few weeks probing, and I think he needs to take that time.鈥�
Harris' entry into the presidential race after has changed basic assumptions about the campaign, as Democrats replaced an 81-year-old man with a fading ability to make his case with a 59-year-old woman who's drawing new enthusiasm. Trump's attacks on Harris' racial identity 鈥� an echo of his of former President Barack Obama's birthplace 鈥� have caused Trump may be ignoring issues they see as favorable for him.
Marc Short, who was chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, said he questions whether the Republican nominee will stick to the script his team prescribes.
鈥淚 think that there is a lot of time left. But I鈥檓 also not optimistic that you will see message discipline either,鈥� said Short, whose after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to have confidence that there will be an orchestrated effort to highlight that because we will continue to do things like debating whether Harris is Indian American or African American.鈥�
Here's what top strategists think Trump should do.
Focus on the economy
In June, found that about 4 in 10 American adults 鈥� and only about 1 in 10 Republicans 鈥� approved of the way Biden was handling the economy.
Most Republicans 鈥� 56% 鈥� say the outcome of the upcoming election is 鈥渆xtremely important鈥� for the economy, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in July. That's slightly higher than the 48% who say they feel the same way about immigration, another issue Trump has long prioritized.
鈥淗ow many times have campaigns come down to, as Ronald Reagan said, 鈥楢re you better off now than you were four years ago?鈥欌�� said Mark Campbell, who managed Republican Glenn Youngkin鈥檚 winning 2021 Virginia governor鈥檚 race. 鈥淭his year, the answer is a resounding no. But we haven鈥檛 heard it put that simply yet, and they鈥檝e had three weeks to say it.鈥�
Respond to the 鈥楩reedom鈥� message
One strategist argued that Trump needs to respond to the message Harris was building around protecting Americans' freedom 鈥� taking ownership of a word that Republicans often try to make a centerpiece of their campaigns.
Harris and other Democrats have after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. She's also brought up Trump's felony for participating in a hush-money scheme to influence the 2016 election 鈥� a case for which he faces possible prison time 鈥� and as a prosecutor and former attorney general. She Trump is not just a threat to democracy but will take away the freedom to have an abortion and be safe from gun violence.
As if to put a fine point on the message, Harris' is Beyonc茅's 鈥淔reedom.鈥�
Take some time 鈥� but not too much
Sullivan, the former Rubio senior adviser, said Trump had run a smart campaign up until Biden was replaced and cautioned against writing off his ability to find a new message.
By the end of the 2016 primary campaign, Trump as 鈥淟ittle Marco鈥� and with a rout in Rubio's native Florida. (Today, Trump also lives in Florida after establishing residency there during his presidency and had Rubio on his before picking Ohio Sen. JD Vance.)
Sullivan argues Harris will begin to face more backlash and her ties to San Francisco, a city long stamped for many Americans as liberal and out of touch with the rest of the country, will be good fodder for Trump.
鈥淗e message tests early on and he goes through a lot of bad ideas before he locks in,鈥� Sullivan said. "And when he locks in, it鈥檚 usually pretty good."
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Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press reporter Linley Sanders contributed from Washington.
Thomas Beaumont, The Associated Press
