A veteran Democratic strategist made clear Tuesday how unprecedented the scenario that Donald Trump’s campaign has found itself in amid fallout over his controversial New York City rally with just a week to go before Election Day.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’ve never seen any anything like this, this close to an election,” said Maria Cardona, a Democratic strategist and frequent CNN political commentator. “So, if anything is ever going to matter about Donald Trump's racism and xenophobia – this can be it.”
The comments came on CNN’s “The Lead” after host Jake Tapper asked whether blowback from the disturbing remarks at Trump’s Sunday Madison Square Garden rally is “really a thing.”
“I know that Democrats want this to be a thing, but just like truth serum, is this really a thing?” Tapper asked.
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Cardona said the offensive messaging could have an impact — especially in a battleground state like Pennsylvania with a large Puerto Rican community.
“Especially because of where it is Pennsylvania, right, almost 500,000 Puerto Ricans live there in addition to other Latinos, because this is offensive not just to Puerto Ricans, but to all Latinos, and I think a lot of sensible Americans as well,” Cardona said.
The strategist added that she’s heard anecdotal evidence pointing that people “are fired up, they are mad as hell.”
“I’ve heard a lot of Trump-supporting Puerto Ricans who are saying, ‘I am not going to vote for this guy and I’m going to tell all of my friends and family to vote for Kamala,” Cardona said.
Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) added a dash of anecdotal evidence to support Cardona’s theory from a Pennsylvania rally he attended Tuesday with former President Bill Clinton.
“After the rally with Clinton, I had four people come up to me and tell me they weren't going to vote, but now they are, just four of them,” Walsh said.
Watch the clip below or at this link.