Peter Navarro suggests Trump prioritize policies, not campaign rallies to beat Harris: ‘He needs votes’

As the gap between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris continues to close, former Trump adviser Peter Navarro suggested Trump needs to change his strategy.

Navarro was hosting the War Room podcast in place of Steve Bannon, who is currently serving a four-month prison sentence for defying a House subpoena, when he suggested Trump reevaluate his rally formula. 

“He needs votes, and the current rally formula is simply not sufficiently focused on the very stark policy differences between him and Kamala Harris that will swing voters in key battleground states,” Navarro said during Monday’s episode.

Trump made headlines for questioning Harris’s race recently, stating that she just “happened to turn black” for political gain. It’s not been the first time he has taken aim at Harris on a personal level. Even though the Harris campaign has focused on Trump’s personal past as well, Navarro doesn’t see it as a winning strategy for his former boss.

“When Trump attacks Harris personally rather than on policy, Harris’s support among swing voters rises, particularly among women,” Navarro said. “It’s just a fact of life right now.” 

Polling aggregation by Decision Desk HQ and the Hill on Monday showed Harris with a 0.3% lead over Trump.

Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster, also said Trump’s rhetoric against Harris is costing him in the polls.

“If it’s about issues, Trump is much more likely to be successful. If it’s about attributes, Harris is much more likely to be successful because, quite frankly, people like her more than they like him. It’s something that, if he’s watching this right now, his head is exploding — and that’s part of the problem,” Luntz said during a CNN interview.