President Donald Trump’s frequent attacks on Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) reflect his growing fear of the Democratic lawmaker – at least according to Crockett whose clashes with right-wing media and lawmakers have helped propel her onto the national stage.
“I process [attacks from Trump and right-wing media] as they believe that I’m a threat,” Crockett told Politico. “Listen, you’re not talking about anybody who’s not relevant. That’s just the reality. No one is wasting capital on anyone that is not relevant.”
While Trump is known for frequently lashing out at Democratic lawmakers, Crockett has been among the most frequent targets for his attacks. He’s called her a “lowlife,” a “very low-IQ person,” and compared her unfavorably to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), “only slightly dumber.”
But for Crockett, Trump’s attacks are an admission that he saw her as a growing threat, and one he lashed out at frequently as a means to “thwart before they rise too much.”
“I think that personally they are threatened. When you look at AOC, AOC is the highest-fundraising member in the U.S. House, period. Above Democrats, Republicans, that is number one,” Crockett said.
“When you look at the crowds that she garners, when she goes out, that’s a scary thing for him, right? And a lot of the people that I believe that he wants to appeal to, AOC is one of the few people that can actually break through. I would argue that as much as I go against him, I would imagine that I get some of those folk too.”
For her part, Crockett has not held back in returning jabs at Trump. After being called a “low IQ person,” Crockett fired back by noting that Trump “sure [does] have my name in your mouth a lot,” and that his attacks were proof that he was “terrified of smart, bold Black women telling the truth and holding you accountable.”