Trump's 'communist' attack on Harris 'simply not credible' — and costing him: GOP pollster

Former President Donald Trump's efforts to attack Vice President Kamala Harris on inflation are starting to lose the plot, GOP pollster and focus grouper Frank Luntz told CNN's Phil Mattingly on Friday afternoon.

Inflation has long been an issue the GOP has tried to press the advantage on, as post-COVID supply shocks and the war in Ukraine drove up the price of everyday consumer goods. But with Harris' speech on Friday outlining policies to tackle the problem, Trump's effort to compare Harris to Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro — and describing her cost of living reforms as "communist" are not landing with voters who seek substance, said Luntz.

"They're very clearly trying to define her as a communist," said Mattingly. "Her policies aren't communist policies, although they are aggressive in terms of how they operate within markets. How do you think that line of attack is landing right now?"

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"It isn't," said Luntz. "It's one of the reasons why Trump has been declining in every survey in just about every state over the last few weeks. The public absolutely wants to focus on inflation, on affordability. They absolutely care about prices for food and fuel, housing and health care, and they're not asking for an ideological solution. They're asking for a day-to-day solution."

"What Harris proposed in the last few hours is going to play well with voters, at least initially, because they're looking at their wallets and their pocketbooks and they're saying, I can't afford day-to-day life," said Luntz. "Trump would be much better off comparing inflation under his administration versus the Biden/Harris administration. Much better off talking about the cost of a Thanksgiving meal, because that's something we can all relate to, rather than accusing her of being a communist, which is simply not credible."

"This is what has happened in the campaign over the last few weeks," he added. "And it's one of the reasons why so many voters are taking another look at Harris, not because of what she says, but because of what Donald Trump is saying and how much they don't like it."

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