Politico | Paranoia and finger-pointing in Trumpworld as US election approaches
- Accusations are flying in all directions and about all manner of topics
- Top Trump advisers insist they remain confident about victory
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Alex Isenstadt on politico.com on October 25, 2020.
US President Donald Trump’s top advisers have plunged into a bitter round of finger-pointing and blame-shifting ahead of an increasingly likely defeat.
Finger-pointing is a common feature of campaigns that think they’re losing, but it's happening at an uncommon level in this campaign. Shifting responsibility has been a staple of the Trump presidency – and his lieutenants are now following suit.
Top Trump advisers insist they remain confident, with campaign manager Bill Stepien saying privately the president still has a path to victory. On Friday, Trump's team boasted about his improved debate performance, and said the president had zeroed in on a clear line of attack for the final week: that during his five decades in Washington, Biden had failed to fulfil the promises he's now making.
But senior Republicans say a culture of paranoia has developed in the waning days of the race, with fears mounting that they will be the targets of post-election attacks if Trump loses, which could damage their careers going forward.
