“Karl Rove Drops a Bombshell: Trump Calls Harris ‘Dumb as a Rock’—What Does That Make Him?”

Republican strategist Karl Rove blasted former President Trump for the “catastrophic” debate he had with Vice President Harris earlier this week.

Rove attacked Trump in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, criticizing the former president for his “train wreck” of a debate performance against Harris. During the debate on Tuesday, Trump appeared to grow agitated as Harris went on the offensive about his rally crowd sizes.

Overall, Rove declared that Tuesday’s debate was “far worse than anything Team Trump could have imagined.”

“Mr. Trump had to know the vice president would try to get him to lose his cool. She did. She went after him on his multiple indictments. She called him ‘weak’ and belittled him as a six-time bankrupt, spoiled inheritor of wealth. She said his former national security adviser thought him, in her words, ‘dangerous and unfit’ for the Oval Office,” Rove wrote.

Harris took personal shots at Trump, leaving the former president irritated as he even raised his voice at times. He gave rambling answers, including repeating a false claim about migrants eating their neighbor’s pets in Springfield, Ohio that Rove said was “probably Team Trump’s lowest moment.”

Rove argued that Trump “let his emotions get the better of him.”

“He took the bait almost every time she put it on the hook, offering a pained smile as she did. Rather than dismissing her attacks and launching his strongest counterarguments against her, Mr. Trump got furious,” he said.

“As her attacks continued, his voice rose. He gripped the podium more often and more firmly. He grimaced and shook his head, at times responding with wild and fanciful rhetoric. Short, deft replies and counterpunches would have been effective. He didn’t deliver them,” he continued.

Many pundits and post-debate polls suggest that Harris was the clear winner of Tuesday’s debate. While Harris dodged some questions about her previous positions, many pundits credited her with being able to get under Trump’s skin.

Rove wrote that there was “no contest” when comparing how the two candidates carried themselves.

“Ms. Harris came across as calm, confident, strong, and focused on the future. Mr. Trump came across as hot, angry, and fixated on the past, especially his own. She mastered the split screen, projecting confidence and wordlessly undercutting him by smiling while shaking her head as he spoke,” he wrote.

Rove concluded his op-ed by referencing one of Trump’s key insults hurled at Harris, who Trump has described as “dumb as a rock.”

“Will this debate have an effect? Yes, though perhaps not as much as Team Harris hopes or as much as Team Trump might fear. But there’s no putting lipstick on this pig. Mr. Trump was crushed by a woman he previously dismissed as “dumb as a rock.” Which raises the question: What does that make him?” he concluded.

Despite many negative reviews for Trump’s performance, the former president has maintained that he won the debate and has criticized ABC News for how they moderated it.

“Remember, I wasn’t debating one person, I was debating three. They should fire everybody at ABC Fake News, whose two lightweight “anchors” have brought disgrace onto the company!” Trump posted to Truth Social late Wednesday night.

It’s not clear whether there will be a second debate. The Harris team is pushing for a second debate between the two candidates, while Trump has remained noncommittal.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.