Presenter says White House focus on Trump is 'all downside' for midterms

A presenter criticized the White House's strategy of putting the president "front and center" for the midterm election, calling the approach "all downside." The presenter said the president should "recede as a political figure and grow as a presidential figure" in a difficult year rather than lead campaign-focused messaging.

The presenter singled out the Dallas midterm convention and its headline policy pitch, which he called the "Trump dividend" ' a proposal that "every American will get a $5,000 dividend." He said that message "was a missed opportunity," adding, "we got a $40 trillion deficit of which you've added 12 on your watch," to argue the pitch lacked fiscal credibility. The presenter criticized holding the convention in September rather than earlier and urged consultation with House and Senate leadership and policy experts before launching major proposals.

Asked whether there was "any value or merit to that strategy," the questioner prompted the critique; the presenter replied emphatically that the approach is counterproductive and contrasted a party-focused strategy with what he described as the current president's tendency to treat the party as an extension of himself: "This is a party. It is not a person. And he treats it as if it is him and it's not."