Trump treading 'well-worn path' toward disaster as 'last gasp' falls flat: analysts

President Donald Trump seems to be treading a well-worn path to disaster with his latest series of attacks against Democrats, according to two political analysts.

Over the last several weeks, Trump has called Democrats every nasty name in the book, from "jihadists" to "communists" and "criminals." Sidney Blumental and Sean Wilentz, co-hosts of "The Court of History" podcast, noted on a new episode that these attacks have a long history in American politics. But the Trump line of attacks seems to suggest that his message is falling flat with voters ahead of a consequential midterm election, they argued.

Wilentz noted that Trump's attacks are in line with the "paranoid style" of politics that emerged under the McCarthy era.

He noted that the "lavender scare" circulated around the idea that queer people were national security threats because of their lifestyles, a threat that was ginned up by none other than Roy Cohn, an infamous lawyer who allegedly taught Trump every dirty trick in the book.

A similar attack framework has emerged against Texas Democrat James Talarico, Wilentz noted, arguing that Republicans are trying to make him out to be "a sissy."

"Will it work?" Wilentz asked. "I don't see it happening, but we'll see what happens."

Blumenthal described Trump's demonization of Democrats as his "last gasp" ahead of the midterms.

Wilentz also noted that these kinds of attacks seem to be all Trump has to lean on as the midterms approach.

"What else has he got? I mean, he hasn't got any issues on his side," Wilentz said. "He's got an unpopular war, the economy's in the tank, inflation's out of control, gas prices are going crazy. Everything that he said he was going to accomplish, he has not accomplished and has only made worse. So, what is he supposed to do going into the midterms? Well, all he can do is the same old playbook, which is this demonization."