The right-wing influencer in charge of Donald Trump's ground game sent out a frantic call for voters early in the afternoon on Election Day.
Turning Point USA president Charlie Kirk had no significant experience with get-out-the-vote operations when he was tapped by the Trump campaign to oversee the former president's ground game, and Republicans have been nervously questioning his efforts – which even he seemed to agree was insufficient once polls opened.
"Turnout is mixed and not where we want it to be," Kirk tweeted at 12:39 p.m. on Election Day. "We need more people to vote. We can't let turnout flatline. Text everyone you know. Make more noise. We need more."
The Turning Point network pitched the Republican National Committee on a plan centered on ultra-conservative “MAGA” types who primarily live in rural areas and don’t reliably vote, rather than activating swing voters in densely populated suburbs, but former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel wasn't interested.
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However, Trump pushed out McDaniel at Kirk's behest, and the GOP campaign outsourced the ground game to Turning Point, Elon Musk's America PAC and other outside groups, most of which had no experience turning out voters using tried-and-true strategies, and the former president's allies expressed disappointment with their efforts.
“I think it’s what happens when you let a bunch of grifters take over,” said one Trumpworld source. “Sh*t is always gonna produce sh*t.”
