Former President Donald Trump is leading Vice President Kamala Harris on the issues that matter most to Americans, but he must drop his “angry” communication style to beat her, pollster Frank Luntz said Monday.
Trump is losing to Harris in the key battleground states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. According to According to a series of New York Times/Siena College polls released Saturday, Harris told CNN News Central that if the election were held today, she “would win,” but that Trump could also win if he changed his campaign rhetoric. (Related: Poll shows more than three-fifths of Americans believe Kamala Harris covered up Biden's health problems)
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A prominent pollster says that the issue agenda favors Trump, but he must tone down his anger if he wants to beat Harris. pic.twitter.com/xKOf1zO3xJ
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 12, 2024
“She's talking about her persona, her attributes, her personality traits, and that's where Trump has been making his comments. And the fact is, the American people don't want to hear the same kind of negativity, the same kind of attacks that he's been making,” Luntz said. “His strength is issues, especially the two most important issues: inflation and immigration. But instead of talking about those two issues, talking about the failures of the Biden administration, he's making personal attacks, and frankly, that's alienating the voters that he's supposed to be appealing to.”
“The big moment here will be the debate where Harris and Trump stand side by side and offer different perspectives,” he added. “At the end of the day, I think there's still a good chance that Trump could win because the issues are in his favor. But not if he gets so angry that he stops representing the people he's trying to appeal to.”
A new New York Times/Siena poll found that voters still trust Trump more than Harris on immigration and the economy, with Trump leading Harris by 12 points on the latter. According to According to a Wall Street Journal poll in late July.
The average of the polls is NYT Compiled As of August 10, Harris's approval rating is at 48% nationally, compared with Trump's 47%, making the race very close. The two candidates are tied in Pennsylvania, with Harris holding slight leads in Michigan and Wisconsin, according to a New York Times average.
Luntz recently said Trump could beat Harris if he asked voters, “Name one thing Harris has accomplished as vice president.”
“People don't like it when politicians attack each other. Accountability? Go for it,” Luntz said. “Attacking? No.”
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