President Donald Trump is being trashed for the false claims he made last night in his speech, distorting the truth about the economy. But one former Republican leader said something worse is happening.
Speaking to MS NOW's Katy Tur, fellow host Michael Steele said that voters are already telling the country that whatever efforts Trump has attempted aren't working.
"He's upside down, not just with the broad swath of Americans. Independents, he's lost 43 points with Independents. He's down 16 points with his own base. I mean, come on," said Steele.
He said that support among Republicans may still be high, but losing any ground is a unique situation for Trump.
"But here, let's level-set what we're talking about here. You know this, you've known this, and followed this guy from the very moment he stepped on the stage. He doesn't care about the politics of politics within the organs and the sinews of a party to get folks elected and connect that to a broader message, to sort of drag the laggards to the —" Steele said before he was cut off by Tur.
"He doesn't care about Congress," she said.
Steele argued that Trump doesn't care about anything other than himself.
For those working in Republican Party politics, Trump would never be someone to rely on.
"So, if you're in the game of politics, [and] the titular head of your party doesn't even care that you're there, meaning your fate is not aligned with his, and his is not aligned with yours, particularly in a congressional cycle where they should be aligned. That's how you don't lose 63 House seats if you're the Democratic Party, or what's going to happen to Republicans this November," said Steele.
Tur said that Trump has always been the one to say he can do everything by himself and doesn't need help from anyone to accomplish his goals. Now he's in a position where he holds every house of Congress, and the Supreme Court is dominated by conservatives.
Steele and Tur agreed that Trump still can't get anything passed because Republicans are unwilling to work with Democrats on bipartisan legislation.
"So, there's been basically no legislation," he said.
It means that Trump has turned House and Senate Republicans "irrelevant," so it ultimately hurts their reelection campaigns.
"Here's the kicker. Republicans in the House and Senate have made themselves irrelevant because at any juncture, particularly after the decision by the Supreme Court on tariffs, that's a moment where you step in. The Supreme Court is giving you your power back," continued Steele.
It's a rare opportunity to work on tariffs, Steele said, and show Americans that they are relevant again. What Speaker Mike Johnson did, however, was to continue allowing Trump to run the show.
The two compared it to having someone throw a ball and stepping aside, letting it sit.
Tur simply couldn't understand why.
"Because they're mini men," he said. "They play small ball. From the very beginning, they always saw Donald Trump as something that he was not. And they gave him power he did not have because Donald Trump wasn't in the districts. He may endorse you, but he's not running your race. He's not managing your campaign. He's not getting you elected. They made him who he is," Steele closed.
"And at no time along the way have they decided that this individual is not in our political best interest. And the political calculation for that was realized when Mitch McConnell refused to convict after Jan. 6," he said.
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