Trump accused of calling voters dumb with 'telling' comment: 'Way to insult good people'

President Donald Trump defended his Justice Department’s lawsuit over Alaska’s Senate race on Sunday by claiming many voters don’t understand a basic political term.

“A lot of people don’t know what incumbent means,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before leaving for a campaign rally in Michigan.

Trump was talking about the second Dan Sullivan on Alaska’s ballot, who is not the Republican incumbent senator. He argued that “people are totally confused,” and called the situation “very unfair” and “outright cheating.” He said his administration is “before the court to see what you can do.”

Critics thought the remark said more about the president than about voters.

“Translation: HE just found out what ‘incumbent’ means,” wrote former MSNBC and ESPN host Keith Olbermann.

The progressive MeidasTouch account agreed: “Always telling when Trump just learns what something means.”

Several critics pointed back to Trump’s widely mocked 2017 claim that “most people don’t know” the word “dumb” is spelled with a “B.”

“The same people who don’t know that dumb has a B,” wrote Molly Jong-Fast, a political commentator and MSNOW contributor.

Criminal defense lawyer and Simple Justice blogger Scott Greenfield joined in: “Most people don’t know that ‘dumb’ is spelled with a ‘b.’ --DJT”

“Trump: it probably ends with a B. A lot of people don’t know that,” wrote Greg Dworkin, a contributing editor at Daily Kos. “He didn’t say that yet, but it’s coming.”

Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief of Mother Jones, wrote, “Way to insult the good people of Alaska.”

Aaron Rupar, who posted the clip, summed up Trump’s argument: Alaska’s ballot is “illegal because people don’t know what ‘incumbent’ means.”

The DOJ lawsuit, which Trump has said he ordered filed, asks a federal court to block certification of any Alaska result “that may be impacted by voter confusion.” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) faces former Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat.