“Donald Trump’s campaign advisers had it all mapped out: A blowout rally in Oklahoma — coupled with a withering ad launched days earlier questioning Joe Biden’s mental acuity — would finally shift the focus to the elusive Democrat amid the worst stretch of Trump’s presidency,” Politico reports.
“The ad tested well, and Trump attacked Biden extensively during the Saturday night event, saying the former vice president has ‘surrendered to his party and to the left-wing mob.’ But his remarks were lost in a meandering and grievance-filled two-hour speech, which included a lengthy rendition of him drinking water during his West Point commencement speech a week earlier…”
“The partly-empty arena was the biggest embarrassment and has received the lion’s share of media attention. But the issues surrounding the rally — an event that his advisers unanimously saw as a turning point for Trump — extended beyond crowd size and raised questions about the strength of his campaign less than five months until the election.”