GOP official says 'everyone is wondering where the bottom is' during Trump campaign's final stretch

Four years ago, The Washington Post published the infamous Access Hollywood tapes that appeared to threaten to derail then-candidate Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

Now, some Republicans feel like Trump's re-election campaign has reached a similar make or break juncture after his coronavirus diagnosis, with some vulnerable congressional Republicans beginning to distance themselves from the president, the Post reports.

One senior GOP official close to Trump told the Post "the situation is getting worse and worse," adding that "this is like Access Hollywood because we're all seeing terrible poll numbers. We didn't think it'd be this bad at this point. Everyone is wondering where the bottom is, and they're figuring out what they need to do."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

But not everyone is concerned. After all, the seemingly damaging recordings didn't prevent Trump from defeating Hillary Clinton in 2016, and something — perhaps Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation process — could shift the winds again. "People's memories are so short that what has them down today could be forgotten by next week if the court or whatever else becomes the issue," said Tom Ingraham, a Tennessee-based GOP strategist. "It's natural for this period to be a little nerve-racking for Republicans, given the president's illness and the way he handled the first debate. That doesn't mean it lasts." Read more at The Washington Post.