Top Republicans call on Trump to stop insulting Harris, refocus on policy

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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate on August 08, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. Former President Donald Trump is facing a wave of calls from Republican supporters to focus his political attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris on policy critiques and to scale back his ad hominem insults and conspiracy theories. "The path forward is to focus on policy. Those are three words for the Republican Party that I think is a path to success: Focus on policy," former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Tuesday on NPR. "I think Donald Trump has a strong case on all of those counts, and I think he and the Republican Party would be well served to focus on the policy contrasts," said Ramaswamy, who endorsed Trump after dropping his own White House bid earlier this year. "The winning formula for President Trump is very plain to see: It's fewer insults, more insights and that policy contrast," Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump White House advisor, said Monday in a Fox News interview. Conway, who managed Trump's winning 2016 campaign, appeared with fellow Trump White House alum Larry Kudlow, who also had some advice for Trump: "Don't wander off, don't call her stupid and all kinds of names, stay on message." Pleas like these from loyal Trump supporters have echoed through Republican circles in recent days, as the party grapples with the new dynamics of a presidential race against Harris, three weeks after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. As Trump tries to pivot, his talking points against Harris frequently devolve into personal attacks. They include making false claims about her racial identity, insulting her intelligence and commenting on her appearance. He has also promoted false conspiracy theories about the crowds at Harris' huge rallies. "When Trump attacks Harris personally rather than on policy, Harris' support among swing voters rises, particularly among women. It's just a fact of life, right now," Peter Navarro, a former Trump White House aide, said on the conservative WarRoom podcast Monday. Navarro is a loyal Trump ally who recently served four months in federal prison for defying a congressional subpoena in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection probe. "You've got to make this race not on personalities," former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said earlier Monday in an interview on Fox News. "Stop questioning the size of her crowds and start questioning her positions."