Trump allies fear he has PTSD from rally shooting as he constantly re-watches 7-second clip and ‘sabotages’ his campaign
DONALD Trump’s allies are worried about the former president’s ability to win back the White House, reportedly claiming his recent campaign movements appear to be sabotaging himself.
Sources close to Trump spoke with Vanity Fair on the former president’s campaign, posing two theories as to why it appears he has lost his lead in the presidential race.
“It’s like he’s choosing to lose,” a Republican source close to Trump’s campaign reportedly told the outlet.
CHANGING OPPOSITION
Allies of Trump have pointed to several concerning statements from the former president on social media and in public since President Joe Biden made his shocking announcement that he would be stepping down from the 2024 race.
Shortly after the announcement, Biden backed his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris, alongside her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have since secured the Democratic nomination for president.
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In the first few weeks of her campaign, Harris has seen record-breaking fundraising numbers and an influx of support from the Democratic party that had been lacking in Biden’s past campaign.
Supporters of Trump have suggested that the nominee switch-a-roo could be one reason the Republican campaign is faltering.
One person who recently spent time with Trump told Vanity Fair that the former president claimed Democrats “cheated by swapping Biden.”
Other sources told the outlet that Trump’s campaign had believed Harris’ campaign would lose momentum after the first few weeks.
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As the vice president and her running mate continue to campaign across the country, close allies to Trump are reportedly urging him to change his tactics.
Instead of taking the time to lambast Harris with nicknames like “Lyin’ Kamala” or “Kamabla,” the allies and former aides including Roger Stone are urging Trump to increase attacks on the Democrats’ policies.
“I do think it’s counterproductive to call her stupid,” a Trump insider said to Vanity Fair on Harris.
Stone is a former Trump aide that had been convicted on charges of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness, and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to tip the 2016 election.
However in July 2020, Trump commuted Stone’s sentence.
Despite their history, the former president has reportedly decline’s Stone’s advice.
A Republican close to the campaign told Vanity Fair that Trump has insisted to his team, “I know what I’m doing.”
Trump's comment on Biden ending reelection bid
On July 21, 2024, President Joe Biden announced that he will not seek the Democratic nomination for president and ended his reelection campaign.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's comment on Biden ending his reelection bid:
"Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was!
"He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement.
"All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t - And now, look what he’s done to our Country, with millions of people coming across our Border, totally unchecked and unvetted, many from prisons, mental institutions, and record numbers of terrorists.
"We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AFTERMATH
The makeup of the November presidential race isn’t the only thing impacting the Trump campaign, sources claimed.
According to the report, allies have said the former president has been experiencing trauma in the weeks following the close assassination attempt on Trump at a campaign rally.
During the event in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 16, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire on the group of voters and Trump as he took the stage.
One audience member died and two others were critically injured in the shooting.
Donald Trump Butler Rally Shooting Latest
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet while speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
Donald Trump was not critically injured and is expected to make a full recovery. He has since made his first public appearance after the shooting.
- July 13: Trump was grazed by a bullet from an AR-15-style rifle 430 feet away from where he was delivering remarks to supporters in Butler.
- Trump shared that the bullet tore a piece of his right ear.
- The shooting left rally-goer Corey Comperatore dead and two others injured.
- The FBI identified the would-be assassin as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
- Crooks was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
- July 14: President Joe Biden urged for a cooldown in politics following the attempt on his predecessor's life.
- Biden launched an independent review into the rally's shooting and to assess what went wrong.
- July 15: GOP delegates gather at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to formally name Donald Trump as the party's presidential nominee.
- In a Truth Social post, Trump announced Ohio senator JD Vance as his vice president pick.
- Trump makes his first public appearance since the attempt on his life during the Republican National Convention.
- The Republican presidential candidate, 78, walks into the Fiserv Forum visibly emotional with a white bandage on his right ear.
Trump himself also was hit by a bullet in the ear.
Representative Ronny Jackson, who served as the physician to Trump during his administration and tended to him in the days after the rally, later said it was a “miracle” that Trump was not killed.
One Republican close to Trump’s campaign told Vanity Fair that the Republican nominee has been watching a “seven-second clip of how close he was to getting shot right in the head – over and over and over again.”
“He may actually legit have PTSD,” the source said.
A campaign official did confirm to the outlet that the close call on his life has continued to weigh on Trump during his campaign, saying, “He’s been through a lot.”
Representatives of Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun.
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This week, Harris took a lead over Trump in five key swing states according to polling by Cook Political Report.
Specifically, the vice president now leads over Trump in Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.