This is an adapted excerpt from the Aug. 5 episode of “Morning Joe.”
During a campaign rally in Atlanta on Saturday, Donald Trump reignited one of his favorite old feuds. The former president spent roughly 10 minutes of his time on stage attacking Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, calling him “disloyal” and a “bad guy.”
Trump told the crowd he blamed the governor for his criminal charges in the state, claiming Kemp could have shut down Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation with a “phone call.”
Now, attacking a popular sitting governor in his own state — a state you almost certainly will need to take back the White House — isn’t exactly a successful campaign strategy. And the only thing the former president succeeded in doing on Saturday was bringing even more negative attention to himself.
What we saw Saturday was Trump responding to a chain of events that’s starting to feel out of his control.
Trump clearly sees the enthusiasm surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. He knows enthusiasm comes first, then comes the uptick in the polling — which we’re already starting to see. If momentum continues to build for Harris, Trump knows where this is heading in November.
What we saw Saturday was Trump responding to a chain of events that’s starting to feel out of his control.
Right now, he’s grasping for anything. Trump’s getting nastier, angrier and less disciplined. Every modicum of self-control he summoned during that weeklong period after the assassination attempt on him seems to be gone — like it’s evaporated.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.
Elise Jordan
Elise Jordan is a political analyst for MSNBC and NBC News. She was a policy adviser to Sen. Rand Paul’s 2016 presidential campaign. During the George W. Bush administration, she worked in the White House Office of Presidential Speechwriting and at the State Department as a speechwriter.