Trump allies offer public praise but privately worry after debate



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(CNN) – The morning after a spiteful debate marked by President Donald Trump’s refusal to condemn white supremacy, his aides offered effusive public praise even as some privately feared his performance would alienate voters and others, including the Senate’s only black Republican. , they explicitly implored him to report. groups that interpreted his comments as tacit approval.

“I think he was wrong,” Sen. Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina, a supporter of the president, told reporters on Capitol Hill.

“I think I should correct it,” Scott said. “If you don’t correct it, I guess you weren’t wrong.”

Trump later made an attempt at clarification, telling White House reporters that he had never heard of the extremist group Proud Boys, whom he told to “wait” the night before.

“I don’t know who the Proud Boys are,” he said, leaving for a campaign rally in Minnesota. “But whoever they are, they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their job.”

But when asked if he accepts the support of white supremacists, Trump only said, “I want law and order; it’s a very important part of my campaign.”

And he went on to insist that it was his rival Joe Biden who refused to condemn the violence – “the problem is on the left,” he claimed – and declared victory in a debate that even many of his closest allies believe was wrong.

When Americans awoke in a daze from a painful debate in which the president nagged and interrupted over the course of a chaotic 90-minute spectacle, it was Trump’s refusal to explicitly condemn white supremacist groups the night before that emerged as the main conclusion of the night.

While Trump, according to his spokesman, was in “a very good mood” after the debate and his campaign insisted that he “presented the biggest debate in presidential history,” others around the president seemed less confident.

Several of the president’s advisers expressed concern that he seemed too aggressive, saying the style of debate he demonstrated Tuesday was not the tactic discussed among advisers during preparatory sessions beforehand.

Some of the president’s allies said Wednesday they believe he crashed and burned on a night important to his re-election.

Trump had rehearsed an answer on race with his debate team in the likely event a question was asked about the deadly 2017 protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, a person involved in the preparation said. But when Wallace brought up the incident, Trump did not deploy the suggested defense, missing what the person described as a “perfect opportunity” because the question sounded so much like what was discussed in private.

In conversations with various people who work for, advise or support Trump, they all acknowledged that Trump was too aggressive, touted some of his accomplishments, and likely put off moderate voters he desperately needs to improve his position.

In private conversations, Trump’s performance was described as unpleasant, off-guard and without a forceful line of attack against Biden, as he did with Hillary Clinton in 2016.

“A disaster,” one consultant called him.

The performance left attendees scrambling to consider ways to improve in the final stretch of the campaign as time runs out.

One of the more charitable interpretations was that the debate “doesn’t move the needle one way or another,” said one adviser, benefiting Biden, who is by far the favorite at this stage in the race.

The conversation has already begun among some attendees about how to communicate a possible shift in Trump’s approach to his next debate, a city hall-style event on Oct. 15 in Miami. Both the Trump and Biden campaigns said Tuesday night that they planned to participate.

An adviser said Trump was most effective when he confronted Biden about his record and asked him questions.

“Do more of that,” Trump’s adviser said.

Trump offered little indication that he viewed her performance as anything but stellar.

“I thought it was a great night,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I think the grades were very high. And it was good to be there, I felt very comfortable and I appreciate all the good words.”

He also blamed Wallace, the Fox News host who moderated the debate.

“Two against one was not surprising, but fun,” he wrote on Twitter, one in a series of messages the day after that framed Biden’s performance as a loser.

“Nobody wants Sleepy Joe as a leader, including the radical left (who lost last night!),” He wrote.

In his messages, however, Trump did not address the issue that caused some consternation even among his allies: his refusal, when pressured, to launch an explicit rebuke to white nationalist groups, including the far-right Proud Boys.

“Proud Guys? Stand back and wait,” Trump said, turning the question back to what he says is a far-left extremist: “Someone has to do something about Antifa and the left.”

That answer was vague enough for allies like Scott, who encouraged him to clarify.

“I’ve already sent my comments to the chief of staff,” Scott said when asked on Capitol Hill if he intended to direct his concerns to Trump himself. Scott said Trump’s top aide Mark Meadows had no specific response other than thanks.

Others in Trump’s orbit said he should act quickly to avoid more negative coverage.

“The next chance the president has to clarify that answer, because people like you and others are confused by it, then he should,” former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on ABC News. Christie was among the small group of advisers who helped Trump prepare for Tuesday’s debate.

Moments after it ended, he said Trump came out “too hot” and said his performance did not reflect the kind of debate he and other advisers had helped him prepare for in the days leading up to the meeting.

In those sessions, priority was given to ensuring that the election was not a referendum on Trump and became a choice between him and Biden. The attendees had prepared the president with a long list of examples to use in defining Biden, including misstatements and political disagreements.

While Trump wore some of those, his appearance was defined more by his bitter demeanor and rude interruptions, leading at one point to Wallace yelling at him to be quiet.

Trump has insisted that his followers are delighted to see him train with reporters and rivals. But the nastiness is part of the reason it has lost support among critical voting blocs, including suburban women and older people.

Another reason, according to polls, is his views on race and his willingness to entrench himself in rhetoric and politics designed to exacerbate racial divisions. His reluctance to condemn white supremacy on Tuesday did little to ease those concerns.

“It should have been very clear,” Sen. Mike Rounds, Republican of South Dakota, said the next morning. “And it should have made it very clear that there is no place for people on the far left, or far right, when it comes to Antifa or these white supremacist groups. It should have been very clear.”

Trump’s aides in the White House insisted the president was clear when speaking about the Proud Boys and other extremist groups.

Peter Navarro, the president’s bellicose business adviser, blamed Wallace.

“I think that moment for me underscored how poor Chris Wallace was as a moderator of the debate,” Navarro said during an appearance on MSNBC.

“The president said, of course, he started to say, of course he would denounce that, and Wallace interrupted him.”

However, Trump never returned to his answer, leaving his call to “back off and stand by” to speak for himself. For the Proud Boys, the response pointed to a claim: At least one social media account associated with the group used Trump’s words as part of a new logo.

Still, even that backlash hasn’t sparked widespread discussions within the White House over issuing a clarifying statement.

“I don’t think there is anything to clarify. He has told them to stand aside,” White House communications director Alyssa Farah said Wednesday morning, not mentioning another call from Trump to “stay alert.” .

This story was first published on CNN.com. Trump allies offer public praise but privately worry after debate



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