Focus on economy and answer the Harris ‘Freedom’ message: What GOP strategists think Trump should do

One Republican strategist who has run campaigns against Donald Trump says he recognizes what the former president is doing against Vice President Kamala Harris, even as Trump swings back and forth between attacking her record and questioning her racial identity.

It’s what he’s done against other opponents.

“He figures out what their perceived weakness is and drills down on it,” said Terry Sullivan, who was a senior adviser to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 Republican presidential campaign. “He’s spending a few weeks probing, and I think he needs to take that time.”

Harris’ entry into the presidential race after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid has changed basic assumptions about the campaign, as Democrats replaced an 81-year-old man with a fading ability to make his case with a 59-year-old woman who’s drawing new enthusiasm. Trump’s attacks on Harris’ racial identity — an echo of his onetime questioning of former President Barack Obama’s birthplace — have caused some top Republicans to suggest Trump may be ignoring issues they see as favorable for him.

Marc Short, who was chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, said he questions whether the Republican nominee will stick to the script his team prescribes.

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