PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump’s campaign team admits there were “some missed opportunities” at Monday’s presidential debate after they’ve had time to “digest” the real estate mogul’s performance, sources say. One senior staffer, in a shocking admission, says that Trump’s failures were his own and “more a lack of execution than preparation.”
At the same time, members of Trump’s family are standing behind the leadership of the campaign, contrary to reports of dissension.
“My siblings and I are thrilled with the current team, as we should be, given the success in the polls and in Monday’s debate,” Donald Trump Jr. told ABC News today in a statement. “There is no truth to this fabricated lie and we are excited to be working with these amazing professionals. The business continues to be tremendously successful as it has for years given our incredible assets and attention to detail in their management.”
The comments come amid intense finger-pointing from all levels of the campaign. Trump has blamed the moderator for not addressing topics he wished to discuss. Meanwhile, that staffer said that Trump “lost his nerve” in not hitting Clinton on certain issues like the attacks in Benghazi.
To blame the candidate is evidence of how shaken advisers were post-debate, seeking to shift blame from themselves and those who were responsible for prepping the candidate, to the candidate himself.
Sources say Trump prepared more than was reported but that he should have done mock debates and should have prepared for questions like those about the birther theory about President Obama he pushed for years (before disavowing it recently), as well as women’s issues.
But Trump believed those issues and questions surrounding them, according to one source, were “well within the past.” Three sources all said they were shocked Trump did not bring up Benghazi, another adding that it was a topic prepared for during sessions.
Hillary Clinton blasted Trump at the debate for language that he has used to describe women in the past and took him to task for pushing birtherism for years after the president released his birth certificate.
Sources say unfortunately Trump “did not get through the check list,” but feel they have time to prepare for the final two debates. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will continue to be a part of sessions going forward and the team is hoping to emulate the town hall style of the next debate.
But sources say no new prep has happened yet for the next debate on Oct. 9 — the focus right now is on campaigning.
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.