A major weakness in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is that he simply has become ‘boring’, according to strategist Alastair Campbell.
The Democratic National Convention begins in Chicago tomorrow, with Kamala Harris lined up to be officially selected as the party’s presidential nominee.
Since President Joe Biden announced he would be stepping down from the 2024 race, Ms Harris has enjoyed a surge in popularity, overtaking Mr Trump in key swing states’ polls.
Republican strategists have described this boost as a ‘honeymoon’ period that won’t last until November – but Mr Campbell has argued Mr Trump’s best days might be behind him already.
“I think Trump used to be very, very interesting, and I think he's become really boring,” he told The Anton Savage Show.
“It's interesting because he's such a phenomenon, but what he says is really boring.
“Whereas what the Democrats have got now with Harris and with Tim Walz, they have become interesting.”
The Trump novelty
Mr Campbell said that Donald Trump's novelty has simply worn off for a lot of people.
“It's the fact that he does play the same songs again and again and again,” he said. “[He says] ‘They stole the election, I’m great, everything I touch is great, the economy was wonderful when I was around’.
“I used to watch interviews with Trump – now I know what he's going to say.
“I didn't watch that Elon Musk thing - I thought I know what he's going to say, I know it’s going to be... pathetic.”
In contrast, Vice President Harris is saying “new things” and has brought a lot of energy to her campaign, according to Mr Campbell.
“They become the thing that people want to look at,” he said.
![Kamala Harris and Tim Walz at their first rally. Image: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo](https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2024/08/18113918/2XPNDK2.jpg)
“And they're positive and they're hopeful, they're aspirational.
“It's definitely not a done deal - it's a strange country [and] there's just a very small number of swing states where the votes really, really, really matter.
“But I think she's in very, very good nick and I'm really hopeful.”
In the American Electoral College, the candidate who receives the most votes in a US state then receives another set of ‘electoral votes’ – with the person who reaches 270 electoral votes declared the winner.
Since most states are firmly Democrat or Republican, the ‘swing states’ that change the most are the true key to victory, including Pennsylvania, Arizona and Wisconsin.
In recent polls, Ms Harris has gained a slight advantage over Mr Trump in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, while Mr Trump remains more popular in Georgia.
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