Trump Whines About His Campaign Trying to Keep Him on Message

Donald Trump complained about his own campaign asking him to please stay on topic, during a meandering speech on Wednesday that was meant to be about national security.

Trump went off on a wild tangent whining about his campaign’s new strategy during a campaign stop in Asheville, North Carolina. He strayed off topic to lament about Barack Obama’s address Tuesday night, which included a jab at Trump that’s likely to stick with him: a comment on Trump’s so-called “crowd size.”

“Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night, take loose shots, he was taking shots at your president,” Trump cried on stage Wednesday.

“You know they always say ‘Sir, please stick to pah-licy, don’t get personal,’” Trump said mockingly.  “And yet, they’re getting personal all night long, these people! Do I still have to stick to pah-licy?”

The crowd cheered “No!” in reply.

Trump: Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night? He was taking shots at your president. And so is Michelle. They always say, please stick to policy, don't get personal. Yet they are getting personal all night long, these people. Do I still have to stick to policy? pic.twitter.com/sEJHgUOWtf

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 21, 2024

But it’s not Trump’s devoted fans who are asking him to cut down on the personal attacks and stay on message—it’s everybody else.

Earlier this month, the Trump campaign launched a new tactic to get Trump to curb his tendency to give speeches littered with off-script asides, which are more personal attacks against his opponents than actual policy ideas, by having him appear at smaller “messaging events” focused on one specific topic.

It’s not just Trump’s team that sees the problem. Republican lawmakers have also begun to sound the alarm that Trump’s scattered speeches and lame, ad hominem attacks could lose them votes in November as well.

So far, the Trump team’s new approach hasn’t been going all that well—a sleepier Trump, deprived of the energy of a larger audience, has been rotely delivering similar remarks at every speaking event. Tuesday’s press conference was meant to be about crime and safety, but Trump still managed to deliver most of the same talking points he did during his speech on economic issues the day before. No matter the size of the audience, or the stated topic, Trump manages to find a way to say everything that pops into his head.

For example, on Wednesday, Trump continued his imagined conversation with some aide warning him to stay on topic: “‘Sir, you must stick to policy. You’ll win it on the border, you’ll win it with inflation, you’ll win it with your great military that you built—that they gave away $85 billion dollars worth of it to Afghanistan. Sir, you’re going to win it on crime. The crime is running through the streets like never before. You’re going to win it on all of these things ...’” Trump rambled on.

Later in the speech, Trump continued to air his frustration with his team again, noting that Obama had been “very nasty last night.”

“I try and be nice to people, but it’s a little tough when they get personal. ‘Please’ again, remember? ‘Please, sir don’t get personal, talk about policy,’” Trump said. “Let me ask you about that. We’re going to do a free poll. Here’s the two questions: Should I get personal, should I not get personal?”

“Should I get personal?” Trump asked, to a roaring cheer from the crowd. “Should I not get personal?” he asked, and the response was far more muted.

“I don’t know, my advisers,” Trump mused, “are fired.”

“No, [I] would rather keep it on policy,” he said, dismissing the response from the crowd. “But sometimes it’s hard when you’re attacked from all ends.”