Republican strategist Karl Rove urged President Donald Trump to tone down his “over the top” statements to avoid alienating voters in the midterm elections.
“I think the president would be well-advised to tone down the rhetoric. When the press does something that you think misstates your views, set the record straight in an appropriate way,” Rove, a former senior adviser to George W. Bush, said Monday on Fox News’ "America’s Newsroom."
On Sunday, Trump tweeted that the media are "the enemy of the people" and "purposely cause great division and distrust."
Rove said that Trump’s speech attendees, who cheer when he takes aim at the media and other opponents, do not represent the wide electorate.
"Your audience is not the media, and your audience is not the hardcore base that loves you. There are people that go to those rallies, and when he says ‘the fake news’ and the media, and they’re terrible, they scream and yell. But to win the election this fall, he’s got to win people who are up for grabs in this election," Rove said.
As for Trump’s comments about the media, Rove said, "I think this is over the top. Every president has problems with the media. I was in the White House for seven years. I didn’t like the coverage they gave George W. Bush, particularly the liberal New York Times. But I think the president is better if he makes his case on a case-by-case basis, that is to say, when they say something that is wrong, then he… respectfully disagrees with them."
"I think calling names is not helpful to our country from any side," Rove said.
Rove also took aim at Trump using the term “enemy of the people."
"That just grates on me. I grew up during the time of the Cold War. That was a phrase that was used by (Soviet Union leader Joseph) Stalin against the enemies of the Communist regime," Rove said.
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