Trump pollster lowers Republican expectations, warns the "Harris Honeymoon" will "last a while"

Tony Fabrizio warned the former president that support for Harris will likely grow in the coming weeks

By Marin Scotten

News Fellow

Published July 24, 2024 11:57AM (EDT)

Vice President Kamala Harris departs Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport aboard Airforce 2, after speaking at a campaign rally inside West Allis Central High School on July 23, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris departs Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport aboard Airforce 2, after speaking at a campaign rally inside West Allis Central High School on July 23, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

One of Donald Trump's pollsters is warning the former president’s campaign that support for Vice President Kamala Harris will likely skyrocket in the coming weeks.

In a memo to Trump’s team, pollster Tony Fabrizio warned of a “Harris Honeymoon” among voters. Bolstered by positive media coverage and President Joe Biden's unprecedented decision to pass the torch, Harris’ popularity is likely to show in upcoming polls, Fabrizio said in the memo. 

“The coverage will be largely positive and will certainly energize Democrats and some other parts of their coalition at least in the short term,” Fabrizio said. “That means we will start to see public polling — particularly national public polls — where Harris is gaining on or even leading President Trump.”

In a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, Harris leads Trump by 2%, whereas Biden trailed Trump in nearly every poll before he dropped out of the race on Sunday.

“Given what has happened over the past couple of days and her impending VP choice, there is no question that Harris will get her bump earlier than the Democrat’s Convention,” Fabrizio said in the memo, which was shared with reporters. “And that bump is likely to start showing itself over the next few days and will last a while until the race settles back down.”

Though Trump received his own "bump" with voters after he survived an assassination attempt, a major party candidate has never withdrawn from the race so close to the election, which puts Harris in “uncharted territory,” Fabrizio said. 

But the honeymoon won’t last, Frabizio assured the former president. 

“The Democrats deposing one Nominee for another does NOT change voters discontent over the economy, inflation, crime, the open border, housing costs not to mention concern over two foreign wars,” he said. “Before long, Harris’ ‘honeymoon’ will end and voters will refocus on her role as Biden’s partner and co-pilot.”


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