With less than three weeks til Election Day, Donald Trump’s lukewarm media appearances—which have featured the Republican presidential nominee struggling to piece words together—showcase just how frail he has become.
During an appearance on Fox & Friends Friday morning, Trump voluntarily created sound bites that were so absurd they could be mistaken for deepfakes.
Responding to a call-in question from a child inquiring about his favorite farm animal, Trump couldn’t help himself from dropping an unfounded rally talking point of his: that Vice President Kamala Harris wants to ban bovines in the United States.
“I’ll tell you what I love, I love cows,” Trump slurred. “But if we go with Kamala you won’t have any cows.
“I don’t want to ruin this kid’s day. I love cows, I think they’re so cute and so beautiful and so.… But according to Kamala, who’s a radical left lunatic, you will not have any cows anymore,” he added.
Trump: "I love cows. But if we go with Kamala, you won't have any cows anymore." pic.twitter.com/MY9S19LQT3
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 18, 2024
Elsewhere in the interview, Trump suddenly flipped and got snippy with the Fox hosts, scolding them for playing “attack ads” against him this election cycle.
“But you know the difference? In the old days, you never played negative ads. When I leave here, I’ll then be hit by five or six ads,” Trump said. “When I leave, I’ll have 12 people from Kamala on—and, you know, pretty much unopposed—for 19 days. I don’t think we should do that anymore.
“You shouldn’t play negative ads,” Trump continued. “I love complaining, I like to have everything perfect.”
oh boy. out of nowhere Trump gets cross with Fox & Friends hosts about Fox News playing attack ads against him.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 18, 2024
"In the old days, you never played negative ads. When I leave here, I'll then be here by 5 or 6 ads." pic.twitter.com/98rIB9e7pI
Trump’s own allies appear aware of the fatal flaw, with some of the MAGA leader’s closest advisers admitting that Trump isn’t consistently at his best.
“When he’s good, he’s great, and when he’s off message, he’s not so great. I don’t think anyone is really changing their mind at this point, but when he distracts from his biggest, broadest messaging, it’s counterproductive because the Harris campaign uses it to turn out their voters,” Trump adviser David Urban told The New York Times.
