OPINION:
Democrats want you to believe that the most unpopular vice president in history, widely panned as incompetent, is suddenly some combination of President Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein.
For former President Donald Trump’s team, what some have called a slump over the last few weeks is a tremendous opportunity for reinvention. Whether he and the campaign allow it to happen remains to be seen.
Vice President Kamala Harris is getting a clever makeover. Mr. Trump can and should use this moment to reintroduce himself to the electorate as well.
Just because Mr. Trump, who once charmed audiences on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and made small talk with the ladies on “The View” has battle scars today doesn’t mean he can’t show voters that he’s much more than a rally speech and a social media screed.
The Trump campaign needs this charm offensive now before the sentencing in September, and the massive commercial ad buys about Jan. 6.
Democrats have attacked Mr. Trump’s character for nearly a decade. They understand that choosing a president is an emotional decision rather than a rational one for many people. For eight years he’s been defined by Democrats as nasty, self-absorbed, unpresidential and outright dangerous.
Let’s be honest: It worked, and the former president sometimes doesn’t help his cause.
People know what Mr. Trump stands for. They’ve heard the speeches and seen the combative news conferences.
Campaigns are exhausting and seemingly endless in the digital era. Unlike the days of the whistle-stop, when people heard from a candidate once, today they often hear elements of their stump speech dozens of times. It gets boring.
That’s why long speeches and rallies don’t win elections. True, they may demonstrate enthusiasm, but with a biased media that show only tight camera shots on television, the effectiveness of those massive events is diminished for Republicans.
What the voters are looking for is to be surprised. They’re looking for something new and different. What makes a campaign exciting is when a candidate says or does something unexpected.
That’s the opportunity for Mr. Trump now. How many Americans know the Donald Trump who loves music — opera, Sinatra, Metallica. We know Mr. Trump plays a lot of golf. What’s his secret to playing a game so many people struggle to master for decades?
What happened to “Grandpa Trump”? We saw him at the Republican National Convention. A smiling former president, one grandchild on his lap and another on stage, telling the nation about the Donald Trump most of us have never met: the one who greets his grandkids with bear hugs and kisses, picking them up in the air and making them laugh. The one who prints out a good report card to show people. The one who is so proud of his children.
Mr. Trump used to take his children to church. He has certainly articulated his understanding of the biblical underpinnings of our constitutional freedoms. He recently discussed his faith in an interview with Elon Musk. More interviews about that would be compelling.
One of Mr. Trump’s best moments from the campaign was when he went off script at a South Bronx rally to talk to young people about his father, how he started his business and the importance of hard work. It was a powerful and personal moment.
What about the Donald Trump who doesn’t drink alcohol because he watched his brother lose a yearslong battle with the bottle? In a time of rising drug use and addiction, talking about the dangers of substance abuse would help him make a connection with both parents and young people.
There have been brilliant moments on this campaign where he’s connected with real Americans at a firehouse, a construction site, a bodega and a fast-food place. He needs to do more of that now. He’s good at it.
People are buckling under the weight of the inflation Democrats and the media say Ms. Harris has nothing to do with. Mr. Trump shouldn’t be campaigning in arenas. He should be campaigning in supermarket parking lots and gas stations, as if he were running for town council. Knock on some doors with volunteers and drop into living rooms in suburban neighborhoods along the way.
He should see urban decay firsthand and talk with real people about how Democrats have abandoned minority communities. That shows relatability and leadership. The press can’t ignore that.
Mr. Trump should treat this like “The Celebrity Apprentice” in reverse: earning it every day.
Now is the time to not only start using Ms. Harris’ own words against her, but allow the more likable, relatable side of the man I’ve called the “blue-collar billionaire” to come through.
Ditch the red tie and go local. Meet people where they are. Forget the national networks and talk to the local press.
The real Kamala Harris can crater her campaign, while the real Donald Trump can surprise Americans again by flipping the script and reconnecting with the American people.
• Tom Basile is the host of “America Right Now” on Newsmax TV and a columnist for The Washington Times.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.