Pollster Frank Luntz accused the Trump campaign on Tuesday of being the “worst” he’s seen in the last 40 years, focusing on the wrong issues as Election Day draws near. He claimed the Hunter Biden story is a losing issue when the American people care most about the economy and COVID-19. But those on social media were quick to bring up statements Luntz made in 2016 as reason to doubt the accuracy of the pollster's claims.
“I’ve never seen a campaign more mis-calibrated than the Trump campaign," Luntz said at a briefing for the British strategic advising company Global Counsel, The Hill reports. "Frankly, his staff ought to be brought up on charges of political malpractice. It is the worst campaign I’ve ever seen and I’ve been watching them since 1980. They’re on the wrong issues. They’re on the wrong message. They’ve got their heads up their asses. … Your damn job is to get your candidate to talk about things that are relevant to the people you need to reach. And if you can’t do your damn job then get out.”
President Trump is pushing Attorney General William Barr to investigate Hunter Biden’s shady foreign business dealings immediately because it’s not just about Hunter, Joe Biden is allegedly involved as well.
One email, dated May 13, 2017, and obtained by Fox News, includes a discussion of “remuneration packages” for six people in a business deal with a Chinese energy firm. The email appeared to identify Hunter Biden as “Chair/ Vice Chair depending on an agreement with CEFC,” in an apparent reference to now-bankrupt CEFC China Energy Co.
The email includes a note that “Hunter has some office expectations he will elaborate.” A proposed equity split references “20” for “H” and “10 held by H for the big guy?” with no further details.
Fox News spoke to one of the people who was copied on the email, who confirmed its authenticity. Sources also told Fox News that “the big guy” was a reference to the former vice president. (Fox News)
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On Tuesday, Trump called the story "major corruption" that must be uncovered ahead of the election. And he's right. As Tim Murtaugh, director of communications for the Trump campaign, explained, "Hunter Biden was doing a world tour selling access to his father while he was the vice president of the United States."
"It is impossible for anyone to believe that Joe Biden didn’t know that all of that was going on for years to the tune of millions of dollars, millions of dollars," he continued. "And another one of his e-mails has Hunter in there talking and saying, 'I have to split half of my income with my father.' So what is that all about? There are no good answers to these questions..."
And yet, Luntz claims “nobody cares about Hunter Biden.”
“[W]hy is [Trump] spending all his time on him?” Luntz asked. “Hunter Biden does not help put food on the table. Hunter Biden does not help anyone get a job. Hunter Biden does not provide health care or solve COVID. And Donald Trump spends all of his time focused on that and nobody cares.”
Trump did not do well among Luntz’s focus group of undecided voters after the first presidential debate, he said. Without a “knockout” performance Thursday in the final presidential debate, Luntz claimed Trump will have ruined his chance of winning reelection.
“If Donald Trump doesn’t score a knockout then there’s not enough campaigning or mindshare to give him a chance to catch Joe Biden,” Luntz said.
But is that all true? On Oct. 26, 2016, he made a very similar argument, as reported by Yahoo! News.
Republican pollster Frank Luntz told Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric that Trump’s campaign is the “worst campaign that I have ever seen in my professional life.” He later added that he blames “the people around him for that.”
Breitbart's Joel Pollak found other instances where Luntz got it wrong:
Luntz also said of Trump’s effect on undecided voters: “Not only did he not win them over, he actually turned them off, because his language is wrong. His presentation is wrong.”
Luntz also said Trump was wrong to campaign in Wisconsin, which was “absolutely beyond his reach.”
Trump won Wisconsin en route to the presidency, and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton would later be criticized for not campaigning in the Badger State. (Breitbart)
And that's not all:
Maybe, but @FrankLuntz has zero credibility pic.twitter.com/Hk9Wh7KmRo
— Andrew Meyer ?? (@TheAndrewMeyer) October 20, 2020
Frank Luntz on November 8, 2016:
— Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) October 20, 2020
“Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States.”
“Numerous pictures of underage girls”.
— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) October 20, 2020
Media still defending Hunter Biden?
Still no big deal @FrankLuntz? https://t.co/4AIBNzgY9h
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