"If I wasn't a libertarian I am now," former President Donald Trump said in a speech on Saturday during the Libertarian National Convention.

He didn't get exactly the response he may have expected. Instead of the cheers and adulation he typically receives from his MAGA rallies, Trump was booed and even heckled.

The former president, who almost certainly expects a tight race in November against President Joe Biden, urged the Libertarian Party's delegates to work with him.

"We must work together," Trump tried to explain. "Combine with us. You have to combine with us."

Libertarians tend to lean right on several issues, notably gun rights and federal spending, while also favoring small government and individual freedom. However, they have been largely critical of the national debt accrued during Trump's time in the White House, and were in opposition to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As he received boos and jeers, Trump reacted as one might have expected from the former president. Appearing visibly frustrated, he responded, "Only do that if you want to want to win," he stated suggesting that combining with the Republican Party would bring victory. "If you want to lose, don't do that. Keep getting your 3% every four years."

Trump didn't get the nomination, but he actually didn't even file the paperwork for the nomination. But it could be argued, it was never about getting the nomination; it was about attracting more voters. However, instead Trump did a good job of ensuring the alienated yet another group of potential voters.

This has long been the duality that is Donald Trump.

The very reason he has a solid and secure base is that he says things with no filter. His MAGA supporters love him for it. The problem is that the rest of the country loathes it, and that will cost him votes.

As this reporter recently noted in a piece for Forbes.com, Trump has picked fights with countless celebrities – including talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Vanity Fair editor Anna Wintour, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, comedian Rosie O'Donnell, and notably singers Taylor Swift and Rihanna.

These public feuds won't win Trump any votes – but they could cost him.

Taylor Swift is arguably the biggest pop star in modern history with two to three times the number of followers of Trump, and during her concert tour last year cities literally changed their names for a day or two to honor the singer. Swift had previously endorsed Biden, and is likely do so again – and that alone is a problem. But when Trump picks fights with Swift he gains absolutely nothing.

The same is true with Rihanna, and possibly even worse.

Instead of trying to appeal to her fans in anyway, Trump went on to alienate them when before her appearance during the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, the former president took to Truth Social to post, "Without her 'Stylist' she'd be NOTHING. Bad everything, and NO TALENT!"

It might be easy to shrug this off as not matter. But Rihanna is a billionaire who has a bigger bank account than Trump's, and more importantly maintains a massive larger following on social media. As for the comments, they don't even make sense. At the time, she was already the second-best-selling female artist of all time – earning 14 number-one and 31 top-ten singles in the U.S. In addition, Rihanna is a former Academy Award nominee and an NAACP's President Award winner, who has been twice named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

It is absolutely true that the aforementioned celebrities have said something or posted something about Trump that he didn't like. But it remains unwise for Trump to think that responding does any good. First, it suggests that someone who could be the "most powerful man in the world" even has the time to respond to such personal attacks. That doesn't seem the least bit "presidential."

However, more importantly, it will almost certainly cost him votes. Trump's response or criticism of celebrities could inspire those fans to vote for Biden out of spite!

But it isn't just the fight with celebrities. The same is true of any of Trump's tweets – from suggestions of election interference to corrupt judges and partisan prosecutors. His base already believes these to be true, but the rest of the country is sick of it. Instead of pressing the issues, he often appears as a bully and someone with too many beefs. That could true off independent voters who are looking for a candidate that can govern effectively, not one who is distracted by needless petty feuds on social media.

In the end, Trump's big mouth will be a big problem that will get Joe Biden reelected.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

Image Credit: Creative Commons.