Topline
Former President Donald Trump was so furious with poor polling numbers in early 2020, he lashed out at White House staff by asking how he could be losing to a "mental retard"—referring to then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, according to a Vanity Fair report—with the encounter set to be outlined in an upcoming book detailing the Trump White House during the presidential campaign.
Former President Donald Trump addresses the NCGOP state convention on June 5, 2021 in Greenville, ... [+]
Key Facts
The exchange happened during a meeting in early 2020, according to the book '"Frankly, We Did Win This Election”: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost,' with Vanity Fair reporting on the passage Monday.
Trump also reportedly bought into conspiracy theories that Biden would not be named the Democratic nominee.
According to the report, Trump believed Biden would be replaced by another candidate, like Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama, since Biden's age and his propensity for gaffes would lead Democrats to reject him at the convention.
Trump reportedly believed so strongly in the conspiracy theory that at times he decided "to hold off on heavy spending against Biden."
Trump also expressed regret for attacking Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), since he thought that damaged her bid and that she would have been a weaker Democratic nominee than Biden, according to the book's author, Wall Street Journal senior reporter Michael Bender.
The book is set to be released on Aug. 10 by the publishing company Twelve, an imprint of Hachette.
Crucial Quote
"How am I losing in the polls to a mental retard?" Trump reportedly asked his staff.
Key Background
Trump trailed Biden by around five percentage points in early 2020 polls, according to RealClearPolitics—a gap that continued to widen after Biden became the presumptive nominee. Trump regularly attacked Biden on the campaign, calling him "sleepy Joe" for what he perceived as low energy. But Trump's continued attacks failed to connect well with voters, with Biden going on to flip five of the states Trump won in 2016, while winning the popular vote by a margin of more than 7 million.
Tangent
Trump has continued to believe in bizarre conspiracy theories since losing to Biden, especially when it comes to election fraud, despite the total lack of evidence to support the claim. According to multiple reports, Trump now believes election audits could overturn the election results and lead to him being reinstated as president.
Further Reading
TRUMP’S DERANGED THEORY THAT DEMOCRATS WOULD REPLACE BIDEN MIGHT HAVE HELPED HIM LOSE 2020 (Vanity Fair)
Trump Reportedly Thinks Audits Will Lead To Reinstatement Of Defeated GOP Senators (Forbes)
