WASHINGTON: The “shackles” gone, Donald Trump stepped up his fierce attacks on his own party leaders Tuesday, promising to teach Republicans who oppose him a lesson and fight for the presidency “the way I want to.”
Exactly four weeks before Election Day and with his campaign floundering, the businessman reverted to the combative, divisive strategy that propelled him to victory in the GOP primary: Attack every critic — including fellow Republicans. Those close to Trump suggested it was “open season” on every detractor, regardless of party.
“It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to,” Trump said in a tweet that brought new concern — near panic in some cases — to a party trying to stave off an all-out civil war before Nov, 8.
In another series of tweets, the Republican nominee called House Speaker Paul Ryan “weak and ineffective,” Sen. John McCain “very foul-mouthed” and “disloyal” Republicans “far more difficult than Crooked Hillary.”
“They come at you from all sides,” Trump declared. “They don’t know how to win — I will teach them!”
Rage against fellow Republicans from the face of the 2016 GOP exposed a party slipping from mere feuding into verbal warfare with advance voting already underway in roughly half the states. Polls suggest Trump is headed toward a loss of historic proportions if he doesn’t turn things around.
His scorched-earth approach, days after his sexual predatory language caught on tape triggered a mass Republican defection, threatened to alienate even more supporters.
“Fighting for the sake of fighting is not really very helpful,” said former Trump adviser Barry Bennett.
Trump has acknowledged the possibility of defeat in recent days, but on Tuesday he tried to shift the blame for his struggles on Republican defections and an election system that may be “rigged” against him.
Your vote matters
In Miami, Al Gore, the former vice president and almost-president, held himself up as a warning for complacent or disengaged Democrats as he campaigned for Hillary Clinton. With Clinton listening on stage, he told the crowd of young people, some of whom were toddlers when he lost his bid for the White House by the thinnest of margins, that elections can be close — very close.
“Your vote really, really, really matters,” Gore said. “You can consider me as an Exhibit A.”
The crowd chanted back, “You won!” It was a reference to Gore winning the popular vote in the 2000 presidential contest by about 540,000 votes — but ultimately lost the presidency to George W. Bush.
Gore laid out the environmental stakes of the presidential race in stark terms, arguing that electing Trump would lead to “climate catastrophe.”
Clinton emphasized her plans to develop more clean energy, reduce fossil fuel production and build more weather-resistant infrastructure. She also continued her attacks on Trump, who has called climate change a “hoax” and said he would renegotiate the Paris Climate Agreement, an international treaty designed to curb the rise in global temperatures.
“We cannot risk putting a climate denier in the White House,” Clinton said.
Party divided
At least 40 Republican senators and congressmen have revoked their support for Trump — with nearly 30 of them urging him to quit the race altogether.
Republican Speaker Ryan, in a Monday conference call with congressional Republicans, said he would no longer campaign with Trump. He said he would focus instead on ensuring Clinton doesn’t get a “blank check” with a Democratic-controlled Congress, all but conceding that Trump would lose the presidential contest.
Trump’s running mate Mike Pence said in an interview with NBC Tuesday that he was “disappointed” by the defections and “respectfully” disagreed with Ryan.
At a rally in Newton, Iowa, Pence received multiple standing ovations and was thanked at one point for sticking with Trump — a sign of just how badly Trump has faltered.
“You … just got my respect for not jumping and bailing out on Donald Trump,” the questioner said.
While Trump devoted much of his fire to fellow Republicans on Tuesday, he did not ignore his Democratic opponent.
His campaign released a new ad that focuses on Clinton’s recent bout with pneumonia.
The ad features images of masked gunmen and nuclear weapons as a sick Clinton stumbles toward a vehicle.
“Hillary Clinton doesn’t have the fortitude, strength or stamina to lead in our world,” the narrator declares.