One Republican lawmaker described the discussion as a “dumpster fire.”
House Republicans are silently frustrated by former President Trump’s behaviour in Tuesday’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
A handful of House Republicans, granted permission to speak freely without being named, said Trump “blew” opportunities to tear into Harris and tout his record. Some said Harris had successfully baited him multiple times – an echo of the broader sentiment within the House Republican Conference – but most said it would hardly matter on election day.
“That was terrible, I think they are all saying that now,” one senior House Republican told Fox News Digital.
The bad part is that he had numerous opportunities to lower the boom on her but decided not to. He got caught on the hook she was dragging through the water.
To say the least, another Republican House member called the conversation a “dumpster fire” for the former president himself.
The congressman said, “It was one of the worst bloodletting I’ve ever seen.” But there’s also the aesthetics: Trump looks old when he stands next to Kamala Harris. He looked young compared to Biden. and that you can’t fix.”
One congressman said, “I think it’s gonna sway the people in the middle, who matter.” Most Republicans maintained that this debate would not make any real difference in the election outcome.
Republicans said that Harris “did well, and a third added she “certainly got under his skin.”
Republicans in Congress who spoke with Fox News Digital expressed dismay that Trump’s plans and record weren’t more front-and-centre in his speech, arguing they are far stronger than Harris’.
The third Republican said, “He made a lot of [good] points, but she was able to sidestep every one of those arguments.” “We need to stop treating her like she’s Joe Biden, someone who can’t get her thoughts out, and treat her more like Hillary Clinton.”
A fourth GOP lawmaker, when asked for their view, replied, “I would just rather not comment on any questions about cats and dogs and immigrants.”
Yet the same voter added that Harris “had to present herself as a person with credibility and a policy agenda, she didn’t do that.”
But when asked whether Harris was successful in goading Trump, they clarified it was all his “fault”.
Another Republican said, “I think everybody’s just kind of bummed out,” and added they had not talked about the debate with their fellow Republicans.
“He walked right into the trap that they set, and there were so many things he could have said, but he wasn’t helped,” said the fifth lawmaker present. All he had to do was discuss the border, the burning globe, and inflation. Instead, she poked and prodded until she got an answer.
A sixth of the Republican congressmen said sheepishly, “I do believe he missed some opportunities to highlight her record.” That’s all I have to say.
In an interview with Fox News Digital following Tuesday night’s debate, a seventh Republican said Harris was “doing a good job provoking Trump.”
They complained, “He’s right on policy but can’t keep a message.”
However, the overwhelming majority of House Republicans who spoke to the floor praised Trump – the party’s top brass quickly declared the former president the winner shortly after the debate.
In a statement provided Tuesday night, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said, “Tonight, President Donald Trump called out Vice President Kamala Harris for the dangerous radical she has always been.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., helped Trump prepare for the debate and told reporters on Wednesday that the former president “did a great job.”
“Look, it was economy and immigration that were discussed. He said it was on those things that folks most strongly support President Trump.
Less than an hour after the debate, Trump wrote on his Truth Social app, “People are saying BIG WIN tonight!”
The Trump campaign did not return a request for comment on this story but pointed Fox News Digital to their statement from Tuesday night’s debate, which included the following: “President Trump delivered a masterful debate performance tonight, prosecuting Kamala Harris’ abysmal record of failure that has hurt Americans for the last four years.”
The statement continued, “We saw President Trump lay out his bold vision of America and how he would continue to build upon the successes of his first term by supercharging the economy, securing the border, and stopping crime from ravaging communities across the country.”
“Conversely, Kamala’s vision of America was a dark reminder of the oppressive big government policies of Joe Biden that she wants to continue.”
