Conservative Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan said in her latest op-ed Thursday that presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump is failing his supporters and aiding his rival Hillary Clinton.
“Not long ago Mr. Trump was a phenomenon the Clinton campaign couldn’t quite grok,” wrote Noonan, a former Reagan speechwriter. “When she slammed him on women, her campaign was shocked that he came back harder and rougher. But he’s made himself predictable.”
Trump has made a series of controversial statements in recent weeks, which were likely the cause of a sharp decline in his support nationally and an uptick in his disapproval rating to historic levels for a presidential nominee.
The celebrity businessman has questioned the aptitude of a federal district judge because of his Mexican heritage and after the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., he thanked supporters on social media “for the congrats” about accurately predicting more terrorist attacks.
Once effectively tied with Clinton in national polls, Trump has seen his support decline by about 10 points, even as he continues to draw big audiences to his campaign rallies around the country.
“From the Judge Curiel gaffe, if that’s the word, through Orlando, Mr. Trump has comported himself with the art and deftness of Broderick Crawford in ‘Born Yesterday,'” said Noonan. “I wonder if his supporters understand how much he is letting them, and their issues, down.”
