President Donald Trump reignited his long-standing feud with Karl Rove late Sunday evening in a scathing post on Truth Social, responding to recent commentary from the former White House adviser and longtime Fox News contributor.
In his typical combative style, Trump lashed out at Rove after the strategist criticized his messaging on the economy, an issue that has grown increasingly central to Trump’s platform heading into the next election cycle.
Trump wrote, “I don’t need to have Karl Rove of FoxNews to tell me what to do. The guy’s a total Loser who’s been wrong about almost everything.” The statement was characteristically sharp and dismissive, reigniting tensions between two figures who represent starkly different visions for the Republican Party’s future.
Trump’s post came in response to a segment on Fox News where Rove suggested that Trump’s economic messaging lacked empathy and political finesse, likening the former president’s tone to that of Ebenezer Scrooge, a reference to the miserly character from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.
The comparison, which was first amplified by media coverage following Rove’s appearance, clearly struck a nerve with Trump, who has grown increasingly defensive about criticism from conservative figures associated with the pre-2016 Republican establishment.
Rove, who served as a senior adviser to President George W. Bush and was once considered the GOP’s top political strategist, has been a fixture on Fox News for years.
Though he was once influential in shaping Republican electoral strategy, his clout has declined in the era of Trump, whose brash populism and disregard for traditional political norms have transformed the party.
Despite that shift, Rove has continued to appear on Fox News as a voice of establishment conservatism, frequently offering skeptical takes on Trump’s policy decisions and political instincts.
Most recently, Rove noted that Trump’s approval ratings on economic issues have taken a hit, even among independent and swing voters who had once supported his economic platform.
According to Rove, Trump’s performance on the economy is one of the key weaknesses in his current political standing, a claim that directly contradicts Trump’s frequent assertions that he presided over the greatest economic success in American history.
Rove said during the segment, “Trump is in bad shape on the economy. His approval numbers are low, and his messaging sounds like Mr. Scrooge. Telling people to tighten their belts and stop complaining is not a winning strategy.”
Trump’s response on Truth Social was swift and aggressive, rejecting Rove’s analysis and dismissing him as irrelevant. This is far from the first time the former president has clashed with Rove.
Their feud dates back to the early days of Trump’s political rise, when Rove openly questioned Trump’s electability and warned that his rhetoric could alienate moderate voters.
Trump has never forgotten those early criticisms and has routinely used his platform to attack Rove whenever he appears on Fox News with less-than-favorable commentary.
The feud escalated in 2020 and 2021, when Trump blamed Rove and other establishment Republicans for not doing enough to support his claims of election fraud.
Trump has repeatedly accused Rove of being out of touch with the modern Republican base and has urged Fox News to remove him from its lineup of contributors. In one instance last year, Trump said, “Fox should get rid of Karl Rove. He’s a relic of a failed era, and nobody wants to hear from him anymore.”
Despite Trump’s efforts to marginalize Rove, the strategist has remained a regular guest on Fox News, where he continues to provide election analysis and commentary.
While his influence among GOP primary voters may be diminished, Rove still holds sway among Republican donors, operatives, and institutional figures who see Trump as a liability in general elections.
That divide within the party has only deepened over time, as Trump-aligned populists and traditional conservatives compete for control of the Republican agenda.
Rove’s most recent comments reflect that tension, with his critique of Trump’s economic tone serving as a broader warning that the GOP risks alienating voters if it embraces a message of economic austerity without a compelling plan for growth and prosperity.
Trump, for his part, appears determined to portray himself as the sole credible leader of the Republican Party. His platform on Truth Social has become his preferred vehicle for responding to critics and bypassing traditional media filters.
In this latest case, Trump’s attack on Rove is likely aimed not just at the strategist himself but at the broader class of Republican figures who continue to question his political strategy or offer alternative visions for the party.
By framing Rove as a loser and dismissing his opinions outright, Trump is reinforcing a message of dominance and control over the Republican narrative. That message plays well with his base, many of whom view establishment figures like Rove as part of the Washington swamp that Trump promised to drain.
Still, the back-and-forth between Trump and Rove also reflects the underlying anxiety within the Republican Party heading into a pivotal election cycle. Economic issues are expected to be a major factor in upcoming races, and the GOP’s ability to articulate a clear, appealing message on the economy could determine whether it can expand its base beyond the Trump loyalists.
Rove’s critique was not simply about Trump’s tone; it was about the strategic implications of sounding out of touch with voters who are struggling with inflation, stagnant wages, and uncertainty about the future.
By telling people they don’t need as many dolls or pencils, a reference Trump recently made in defense of his tariff policies, the former president risks coming across as dismissive of the challenges that many American families face.
The image of Trump as a populist billionaire who understands the working class has always been a central part of his political brand. But comments that minimize everyday hardships or blame voters for their frustrations can erode that image, particularly among independents and soft supporters.
Rove’s warning, while couched in the language of a TV analyst, was aimed at that very risk. Whether Trump heeds that warning remains to be seen, but his immediate response suggests he has no intention of tempering his rhetoric or reconsidering his strategy.
In the past, Trump has successfully framed such intraparty criticism as proof of his outsider status and commitment to fighting the establishment. That narrative helped fuel his rise in 2016 and allowed him to weather attacks from all corners of the political spectrum.
However, as the Republican Party moves into a new era shaped by post-pandemic politics, shifting demographics, and evolving voter priorities, it is unclear whether that same playbook will continue to work.
Figures like Rove, while no longer kingmakers, still represent a faction of the party that believes in traditional campaigning, coalition building, and measured policy communication. Their warnings, while often ignored, still carry weight with those looking for a path to long-term viability and electoral success.
The Trump-Rove feud, while personal in tone, is ultimately a reflection of deeper philosophical divisions within the GOP. It pits Trump’s confrontational populism against a more restrained, calculated conservatism.
As both sides dig in, the future of the Republican Party hangs in the balance, with each public clash offering insight into the internal struggle over message, tone, and direction. For now, Trump appears to be winning that fight, at least among the party’s base. But whether that dominance can translate into broader appeal remains one of the central questions of American politics today.
