Former Republican delivers scathing verdict on Trump's 2024 ...

A former Republican media consultant has launched a scathing attack on former president Donald Trump's performance during the 2024 presidential election.

Trump's campaign has been plagued by debunked claims about Haitian migrants eating pets, questioning Vice President Kamala Harris' heritage, and spreading conspiracy theories about election fraud.

Matthew Sheffield, who created multiple right-leaning websites and became a widely read conservative commentator and journalist, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: "After nine long years, it's starting to look like Donald Trump has become overexposed to his fans.

"Democrats have been significantly more enthused since Kamala Harris entered the race than Republicans. In a base-turnout election, Trump loses," he said.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump greets supporters during a campaign event on October 30, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. A prominent conservative commentator has heavily criticized Trump's election performance. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.

A significant number of traditional conservatives and Republicans have opposed the MAGA movement in this year's election cycle, and scores of former GOP lawmakers have endorsed Democratic nominee Harris, including Dick and Liz Cheney.

More than 100 former members of Congress and national security officials from past Republican administrations signed a letter in early September and said Trump is "unfit to serve again" as president.

Signatories included former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Olivia Troye, a former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, and William Webster, former director of both the CIA and FBI.

Other former Republican members of Congress who signed the Harris endorsement letter are Dan Miller of Florida and Oklahoma's Mickey Edwards.

Among the high-profile Republicans to announce they are voting for Harris is former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake. He said he wants to back a presidential candidate who represents "a new generation of leadership based not on grievances of the past, but hope for the future."

Former Kansas senator Nancy Kassebaum also said she is endorsing Harris in the race for the presidency. She issued a statement Thursday, alongside former GOP Kansas state senator Sandy Praeger and retired federal judge Deanell Reece Tacha, confirming their endorsement. The trio said the decision to back Harris over Trump presented a "stark choice" but not an easy one.

"No candidate is perfect, and we do not pretend that we subscribe to all the policy positions taken either by the national parties or any individual candidates," they wrote.

"However, we fervently believe that we must do our part to try to build a brighter future, which is why we will be voting for Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Governor Tim Walz] in this election. We believe they most closely align with the aspirations of Kansans and reflect our rich history of working together 'to the stars through difficulty.'"

On election day, both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates remain deadlocked in a tight race, as polls suggest.

Harris holds marginal leads in key battleground states of Nevada, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, according to the final New York Times/Siena College poll.

Trump is leading in Arizona, while they are locked in razor edge races in Michigan, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

The poll surveyed 7,879 likely voters in the seven states from October 24 to November 2 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

The final poll by Emerson College found both presidential candidates to be tied at 49 percent each.

The survey was conducted between October 30 and November 2 among 1,000 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.