President Donald Trump's brain was fundamentally broken by losing the 2020 election, argued Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser for the Obama administration, on MS NOW — and even winning 2024 didn't help him heal.
This explains Trump's erratic behavior as he posts about North Carolina, a state where Democrats appear likely to pick up a Senate seat after Trump selected a severely underperforming candidate.
"Can you help me understand ... for the president to go to North Carolina in an attempt to get Democrats to spend some time, some attention, some resources that would be better spent somewhere else?" asked anchor Alicia Menendez.
It's possible, said Rhodes — but, he added, "Trump is not exactly playing chess here."
Furthermore, he said, "I also think that psychologically, Trump, if you look at all the election cycles, he kind of believes that red states are red states and should always stay that way. I always thought there was a reason he was so psychologically damaged by Georgia and Arizona flipping in 2020. I think in his mind, North Carolina should just be in his column, right? So I'm not sure that he's playing that kind of game."
Regardless, Rhodes continued, North Carolina will be a state with tons of spending, including from outside PACs and possibly from tech tycoon Elon Musk. "And yes, that is going to make Democrats have to claw their way to raising money and spending resources in different places. But again, I don't think what [Senate candidate] Roy Cooper has built over many years is worth millions of dollars in advertising. He doesn't have to introduce himself to the voters. He doesn't really have to define his opponent. He just has to run as Roy Cooper."
The fact that Trump can no longer assume states that backed him three times will choose a GOP senator, Rhodes concluded, is "a sign of just how much he's damaged his own political brand ... We're talking about competitive races in Texas, in North Carolina, in Ohio and Iowa, places that have been deep red through the Trump era. The fact that those states are in play tells you everything about the water that is leaking onto the boat of Trump and the MAGA movement."
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