“It’s Not 2016 Anymore”: Former Obama Aide Highlights Surprising Signs of Trump’s Campaign Struggles

Jim Messina, former deputy chief of staff for President Barack Obama, shared his observations on Donald Trump’s recent press conference, pointing out two surprising aspects: the absence of MAGA signage and Trump’s apparent fear of failing on the campaign trail.

Messina discussed his thoughts with MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace after Trump’s Thursday press conference, where Trump mentioned he wouldn’t be hitting the campaign trail due to the upcoming Democratic National Convention—despite the fact that the convention isn’t scheduled to begin for several weeks.

Wallace, a former Republican, noticed how Vice President Kamala Harris completely ignored Trump’s comments, treating them as the same tired routine. “She doesn’t even mention the one bit of news he made, and the debates, [which] is to me, the greatest insult of all—that the act is old and tired, not driving the conversation anymore,” Wallace remarked, referring to Harris’ remarks at the United Auto Workers Union after Trump’s press conference, told The Washington Post.

Messina agreed, calling Harris’ approach “exactly the right thing to do.” He explained that Trump’s strategy has always been to provoke reactions, baiting his opponents into responding to his outlandish claims. This tactic often distracts candidates from their messages. However, Messina noted that Harris’ campaign is maintaining incredible discipline, staying focused on their message while Trump appears to unravel.

Messina also highlighted the irony in Trump’s current situation. While Trump famously mocked President Joe Biden in 2020 for “hiding in the basement” during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now Trump who seems to be avoiding the campaign trail—without the excuse of a global crisis.

“There are two campaign things that I’ve seen that make me surprised,” Messina said. “First of all, at his lectern, there wasn’t the Make America Great sign. He had the Mar-a-Lago Club sign, which is a super weird message to send. It also shows you the advanced team is not with him. He just got up there and did that. Because nobody thought that was a great idea.”

Messina’s second point centered on Trump’s apparent fear of failure at his rallies. “He’s not out there for another reason, which is his last event in Atlanta, which hit 6,000 people, and she had 15,000 people at the exact same arena,” Messina said, referring to a recent rally. “So he’s right now screaming at his campaign team, ‘Why are her events bigger than mine?’ It’s not 2016 anymore. He’s been to these swing states a hundred times and his act is starting to fall flat, and people don’t want to go see him.” Messina’s comments suggest that Trump’s campaign is struggling with dwindling enthusiasm and a message that no longer resonates as it once did, marking a stark contrast to his 2016 campaign.