Donald Trump can't "tweet his way" to the White House — and will only win November's general election by following "political fundamentals"and building a "turnout team," MSNBC host Joe Scarborough warns.
"The political ascent of Donald Trump has given rise to the mistaken belief in some quarters that the fundamentals that have won political campaigns for years no longer apply in 2016," the former Florida lawmaker writes in a commentary for the
Washington Post.
"The basics of political blocking and tackling will always matter in general elections. That means the candidate who identifies, targets, and drags out the most supporters to the polls on election day will win the White House."
Scarborough argues it was "stunning" no one in the large GOP primary field besides Sen. Ted Cruz "bothered building a viable ground operation."
"And anyone on Team Trump who believes their candidate can tweet his way to victory in November is greatly mistaken," he writes.
Scarborough noted a meticulous ground game was what won the election for President Barack Obama in 2008 — and his re-election four years later — and that should be the mandate for Trump, too.
"Unless the Trump team figures out how to build a campaign operation that focuses more on fundamentals than flashy PR tricks, the next deal Donald Trump will be negotiating will be his return to The Apprentice," he adds.
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