Republicans Didn’t Love Trump’s Debate Flop, But They’re Not Freaking Out – Yet

Former President Donald Trump turned in a debate performance on Tuesday night more notable for the memes he generated about not having plans and eating dogs than it was for any attacks he landed on Vice President Kamala Harris.

So far, for Republicans, the reaction has been more of an exasperated sigh than a primal scream of despair. Having seen Trump struggle to stay on message for virtually his entire career in elected politics and having seen him lose debates in the past without sinking his electoral hopes, leading GOP figures are mostly in grin and bear it mode at the moment, trying to take comfort in Trump’s still-existing advantages on immigration and economic issues.

“Kamala definitely won the debate. But it’s not going to move the needle,” insisted Mike Davis, a former top GOP aide to the Senate Judiciary Committee and an informal adviser to the former president. “Trump could have ended the campaign last night. He didn’t. But Kamala isn’t going to win. Economy and border.”

“It was a bad night. I don’t think it sets any outcome in stone, but I think Kamala will get a bump in support. And her stellar performance really hurts Trump’s argument that she’s unprepared, weak and incompetent,” said Matt Wolking, an aide to Trump’s 2020 campaign.

Like many other conservatives, Wolking pointed a finger at ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, but said Trump also failed to counter the vice president: “She was incredibly dishonest but executed well, and largely was let off the hook by the moderators and Trump. She tried to get him to go off topic, and he took the bait every time.”

On Capitol Hill, most Republican senators tacitly acknowledged Trump missed key opportunities against Harris, but they countered that