Trump's advisers are concealing how badly he is performing in swing states to keep him happy, report says

Tom Porter

July 3, 2020 1:17 PM

President Donald Trump's campaign officials are giving him misleading assurances about how well his reelection campaign is going, a Republican source told the New York Times.

Recent polls show Trump trailing in several swing states to Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger.
Trump has refused to tone down his rhetoric in response to his decline in the polls, and top aides fear he is headed for defeat.
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Trump campaign officials are misleading the president with that he is doing better in his bid for reelection than he really is, a Republican official in frequent contact with the campaign told the New York Times.

The Republican, who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity, said some aides "willfully distort the electoral landscape to mollify Mr. Trump."

The official recalled a conversation where aides assured Trump he was performing well in Maine, a swing state where in fact he currently trails Democrat Joe Biden by double digits, according to recent polls.

The Trump campaign is said to be in turmoil after recent polls including a Wednesday CNBC/Change Research poll show Trump trailing Biden, in several swing states, as well as nationally.

Campaign officials, according to the Times, believe that behind the slide is the president's faltering reponse to the coronavirus crisis, the George Floyd anti-racism protests, and recent reports alleging that he refused to take action after being briefed by US intelligence that Russia was paying for attacks on US troops in Afghanistan.

It's not just campaign officials who are reportedly wary of delivering bad news or unwelcome information to the president.

CNN this week reported that intelligence officials were wary of providing briefings on Russian hostility towards the US because the president had no interest in hearing it, and would react angrily to bad news.

In the wake of the George Floyd protests, Trump has refused to listen to the advice of aides and moderate his message to appeal to independent voters, NBC News reported , doubling down on racially divisive statements and tweets.

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