In a deep dive into Donald Trump's sometimes odd relationship with the voters who put him into office, the New York Times reports that the president -- whose poll numbers are plummeting -- was "displeased" when Republican National Committee head Ronna McDaniel tried to explain to him that he is spending too much time focusing on issues that won't help him in November.
According to the report, GOP consultants believe Trump has a "caricatured view of what he believes his base wants" that at times belies reality.
According to Liam Donovan, a Republican strategist, the president has a basic understanding of what motivates his base, saying the president has a “preternatural ability to sniff out and tap into what Republicans hate.”
However, he added, "But when it comes to what they’re for, it inevitably comes off like a cartoon version of what a New York billionaire would think conservatives believe.”
With that in mind, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman reports that aides close to the president are trying to redirect his energies to issues that are concerning to voters but are finding resistance from the president who feels he knows better.
Writing, "A series of events over the years of the Trump presidency has made clear that Mr. Trump views the voters he calls 'my people' through the lens of what he imagines they like," Haberman added that Trump's botched "walk to a historic church near the White House — a walk for which largely peaceful protesters were cleared out of the way with chemical irritants — was one such moment."
According to her reporting, Trump and his daughter Ivanka are still puzzled why the photo-op -- that was overshadowed by a tear-gas assault on protesters -- flopped with the public.
In light of that, campaign professionals like the RNC's McDaniel have tried to offer some advice.
"In the past weeks, some advisers — including Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee — have told Mr. Trump he is adopting a losing political stance by defending the Confederate flag at NASCAR events, according to people familiar with the conversations. Mr. Trump has told advisers he’s displeased with such entreaties, including from Ms. McDaniel, according to the people familiar with the conversations," the report states, adding, "Others have told him that trying to force local school districts to reopen is seen as federal overreach by many conservatives."
The report goes on to point out that the president has a habit of ignoring advice, pointing to his surprising win in 2016, with Haberman writing, "few Republican elected officials have bucked him, remaining silent and suppressing any discomfort they might feel when he deploys racial demagogy as a favored campaign tool, or uses the presidency to help allies."
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