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Axios: Trump's advisers brace for loss, point fingers

Deleted member 31923

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Three senior Trump advisers who recently talked to campaign manager Bill Stepien walked away believing he thinks they will lose.

The big picture: The Trump campaign is filled with internal blaming and pre-spinning of a potential loss, accelerating a dire mood that's driven by a daily barrage of bleak headlines, campaign and White House officials tell me.

"A lot of this is the president himself," one adviser said. "You can't heal a patient who doesn't want to take the diagnosis."
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In weekly pep talks, Stepien tells staff members why they shouldn't pay attention to the perennially horrible public polls — and how they can "win the week" and the campaign.

But in other private conversations, described by multiple sources, Stepien can seem darkly pessimistic. He likens the campaign to an airplane flying through turbulence, saying: "It's our job to safely land the plane."

Three sources who have heard Stepien use variations of the airplane analogy say they sensed he was deeply, perhaps irretrievably pessimistic about the state of the race.

"It's not a great feeling when you get the sense the campaign manager doesn't deep down think we're going to win," one campaign source said.
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Stepien pushed back strongly on that, telling me on Friday morning: "With each day closer to November 3, our campaign data presents a clear pathway to 270 for the President that provides me more confidence than ever in President Trump's re-election."

"Our campaign knows how President Trump was elected in 2016 and more importantly, we know exactly how he's going to do it again," Stepien added.

Why it matters: Trump can still win. But make no mistake: Even his most loyal supporters, including those paid to believe, keep telling us he's toast — and could bring Republican control of the Senate down with him.
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What's new: In reporting out this story, Axios learned that Stepien has described to some colleagues that he sees at least three pathways to 270 electoral votes.

Stepien tells them the "easy part" is winning Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Iowa and Maine's second congressional district. From there, the first pathway, and the one he views as most likely, is for Trump to win Arizona, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

His second pathway would be for Trump to win Arizona, North Carolina and Michigan.

And pathway three — the one Stepien views as least likely of the options — does not include Arizona but involves Trump winning North Carolina, Michigan and Nevada.
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www.axios.com

Trump's advisers brace for loss, point fingers

Defenders say campaign manager Bill Stepien is dealing with an impossible situation.
www.axios.com www.axios.com

Tl;dr. Trump advisors are having a hard time seeing Trump's path to 270 electoral votes, and are already starting to blame each other and point the fingers, but none of the blame seems to fall on the dear leader.
 

Deleted member 16657

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If Arizona doesn't go blue after Trump repeatedly shat on McCain for being a prisoner of war, even after he was dead and buried, then they just actively want to be degraded and treated like shit. Not going to kinkshame though
 
Squarehard

Squarehard

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Oct 27, 2017
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source.gif
 
Strike

Strike

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Oct 25, 2017
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Things weren't looking good for him at this point last time either. I won't be able to relax until Biden is effectively sworn in.
 
blanton

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Stepien always seemed like he never wanted to run the campaign in the first place.

From a pure "politics as sport" perspective, I can't see any of them taking that big of a hit when the person at the top of the ticket is so blatantly self-destructive. Many in the Republican party seem quietly eager to move on from this dumpster fire.
 
shnurgleton

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clevbrowns95 said:
Tl;dr. Trump advisors are having a hard time seeing Trump's path to 270 electoral votes, and are already starting to blame each other and point the fingers, but none of the blame seems to fall on the dear leader.
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well when you're a cheater, you don't win if you don't cheat hard enough, or in the right way so in a sense it IS their fault
 
greatgeek

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Oct 25, 2017
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PogChamp said:
If Arizona doesn't go blue after Trump repeatedly shat on McCain for being a prisoner of war, even after he was dead and buried, then they just actively want to be degraded and treated like shit. Not going to kinkshame though
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I wouldn't be stunned this time around if Trump wins any other contested state, but I would be stunned if Mark Kelly and Cindy McCain don't pull Biden across the finish line in Arizona.
 

Deleted member 11626

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The closer we get to Election Day, the more associates and Republicans will distance themselves. He's not toast by any means, but if there is a blowout then he has no chance in the courts. They don't have control of the House, so no emergency election delay. With the federal election proceeding as planned, the new congress should convene 17 days before Trump's term is legally over, leaving a pathway for Pelosi to wind up acting president if Trump refuses to vacate by noon on January 20th.

We need an overwhelming vote though, so make sure you get out and do your part too
 
bionic77

bionic77

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Oct 25, 2017
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They had a ton of these stories right before the election.

These people are all liars and snakes just like Trump and the people who support him.
 
Doc Holliday

Doc Holliday

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Oct 27, 2017
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Feels good to know that Biden can lose PA, OH, FL and still win if he gets WI and MI
Edit:
Nevermind forgot to switch NC to red lol. I'm just trying to think worst case scenarios :/
 
VorpalNonsense

VorpalNonsense

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Oct 25, 2017
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"You can't heal a patient who doesn't want to take the diagnosis."

That is absolutely 100% believably Trump's attitude
 
zero_suit

zero_suit

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Oct 27, 2017
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In two paths to victory, Trump has to win AZ. In the other scenario, he has to win Michigan. LOL.
 
demosthenes

demosthenes

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Oct 25, 2017
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Doesn't matter if they lose the presidency and the senate in the long run for them. They got so much done in these 4 years that they'll still be happy and patting themselves on the back and gearing up for the next cycle. This was a nice long 25 year play that started with Gingrich in the mid 90's.
 
greatgeek

greatgeek

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Oct 25, 2017
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blanton said:
Stepien always seemed like he never wanted to run the campaign in the first place.

From a pure "politics as sport" perspective, I can't see any of them taking that big of a hit when the person at the top of the ticket is so blatantly self-destructive. Many in the Republican party seem quietly eager to move on from this dumpster fire.
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I mean, being a Trump campaign manager gets you a Scorsese crime move ending.

90

Brad-Parscale-1.jpg
 
Thequietone

Thequietone

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Oct 26, 2017
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You aren't flying a plane through turbulence, you're in a plane that's nosediving into the ground with no one competent at the controls.
 
jerd

jerd

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Oct 26, 2017
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trump was always going to struggle against anyone remotely likeable. if they need to point fingers they should point them at trump for being insufferable on his best day
 
The Albatross

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Oct 25, 2017
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Really, really hoping that the bottom falls out on this fucking presidency & campaign because the amount of shit that will come out will be devastating and can be like Mt St Helens collapsing in on itself. Some latest polling was showing Trump sinking below that 40% line, at least, a few consistent ones in a row, and there really is a tipping point affect where people run for the hills when you break 39% and then 36%, and then people try to save themselves.

greatgeek said:
I mean, being a Trump campaign manager gets you a Scorsese crime move ending.

90

Brad-Parscale-1.jpg
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But John Podesta is the real bad guy!!!
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

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Oct 25, 2017
39,029
"Stepien tells them the "easy part" is winning Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Iowa and Maine's second congressional district."

Well, uhh, yeah. The last time a Republican won the presidency without Ohio and Florida was 1924. And no Republican has ever become president without winning Ohio... ever. So, yeah, you better fucking win Ohio and Florida, Bill, because you have no fucking map without them.

BWoog said:
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Biden should offer all Trump Administration officials jobs installing solar panels as part of his environmental infrastructure initiative
 
BWoog

BWoog

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Oct 27, 2017
38,273
The Albatross said:
Biden should offer all Trump Administration officials jobs installing solar panels as part of his environmental infrastructure initiative
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Don't let them near anything important. Put them into Antarctic Research stations and cross your fingers that climate change unleashes John Carpenter's The Thing upon them.
 
elLOaSTy

elLOaSTy

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Oct 27, 2017
3,846
Jobs? All of these poeple should be worried about time behind bard.

We will never move forward unless we can stop allowing the GOP to break the law and walk away without consequence.

The entire admin should be throughly investigated and have every possible charged brought down on them.
 
Eoin

Eoin

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Oct 27, 2017
7,103
Thequietone said:
You aren't flying a plane through turbulence, you're in a plane that's nosediving into the ground with no one competent at the controls.
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Yes, and also every time someone goes near the controls to try to do anything, an obnoxiously loud idiot shouts at them asking why they're pulling the stick down when he wants to go up.

BWoog said:
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Hopefully lots of them can look forward to the kind of employment that pays thirty cents per hour.
 
Rats

Rats

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Oct 25, 2017
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It's going to be glorious to watch Republican politicians flee from Donald Trump as fast as their little legs will carry them.
 
skeezx

skeezx

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Oct 27, 2017
20,164
they'll still get six figures to talk on cable news for five minutes a few times a week. wooo the system

if they're not in jail ofc
 
Shiloh

Shiloh

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Oct 25, 2017
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Rats said:
It's going to be glorious to watch Republican politicians flee from Donald Trump as fast as their little legs will carry them.
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I wish I had this faith. Remember how after 2012 the GOP had to "rebrand". Instead Trump came along a doubled down and won. We're at least a couple election cycles from the GOP changing.
 
Rats

Rats

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Oct 25, 2017
8,112
Shiloh said:
I wish I had this faith. Remember how after 2012 the GOP had to "rebrand". Instead Trump came along a doubled down and won. We're at least a couple election cycles from the GOP changing.
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Oh, no, I don't think they'll change ideologically. I'm not stupid. But they'll absolutely distant themselves from Donald Trump the person because he will be politically toxic.
 

Min

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Oct 25, 2017
4,073
Garp TXB said:
I wonder about that... how many jackasses can they shove on Fox News? Seems like there would be a saturation point.
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It's not just Fox news. They'll be on the MSM networks. After the first debate, CNN let a trump surrogate on who mimicked Trump's first debate tactics, spewing bullshit and interrupting the host who couldn't ask a question or steer the interview, for 10 minutes before finally cutting him off.
 
VariantX

VariantX

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Oct 25, 2017
16,886
Columbia, SC
If they're going to point fingers, point them at Trump. Imagine the kind of mind you have thinking this is anyone else's except Trump's own fault. Imagine being in charge of everything and dictating how and what happens yet none of it ever falls back on you.
 
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