Tim Miller warns Trump’s war chest won’t save GOP in midterms unless they ‘have something to sell’
WASHINGTON, DC: Ahead of the midterms scheduled later this year, former GOP strategist Tim Miller shared some warning for President Donald Trump.
Trump is heading into the midterms with massive fundraising and a huge war chest, and both are under his control or in the super PACs supporting him. Trump can use this resource to protect Republicans from whatever outcome could be in their way, but Miller says there is a big problem.
Tim Miller says Trump can use huge fundraising in midterms
"I know there's a lot of sort of political press around the mega-money machine, but you have to be able to deploy the money competently and strategically. And I wonder what you make of the money situation right now," MS NOW's Nicolle Wallace asked Tim Miller on Wednesday's edition of 'Deadline: White House.'
"Yeah, two thoughts on this," Miller responded, adding, "One, the Republicans are going to have more money this midterms, I think, for the first time in a decade or two ... but the Democrats have actually been better at fundraising since Obama. And so that is something the Democrats are going to have to contend with."
Further talking about Trump’s fundraising, Miller said that during the same time last year, Trump was shaking down the richest people in the world.
"Donald Trump, if you go back to last year, what was he doing this time last year? Shaking people down, like shaking down CEOs, shaking down the richest people in the world. They were funding his ballroom... he's still doing that," said Miller.
Tim Miller points out Trump's potential fundraising challenge
The former strategist said that Trump was “super effective at getting rich people” to favor him during his first term.
"When he first came in, he was super effective at getting rich people to, you know, do favors for them in exchange for getting a bag for his super PAC. So they're going to have a ton of money," he said.
However, Miller pointed out, "Here's the problem, though: like advertising, you need to be able to have something to sell."
"You know, if the dogs won't eat the dog food — it's the old phrase in advertising — it doesn't do you any good. And right now, if people are experiencing real pain economically, and if people are looking at them and thinking, this guy, you know, doesn't have his eye on the ball at all, and I don't feel like my concerns or grievances or needs are being met," he explained.
"They can run all the ads they want, and it's not going to work," Miller stated.
Miller also provided a solution for the potential issue, "So what they can do is go into these red districts... and save ground, right, going to Iowa and, and, you know, smear the Democratic candidate and try to get their number down with Republican voters, and they'll probably be able to use their money to do that relatively effectively. And that's what Democrats have to combat."
