CNN senior political analyst Mark Preston suggested Wednesday that Joe Biden should stand by his recent remarks calling supporters of former President Donald Trump “garbage.”
For those of you keeping score at home.
A comedian at a Trump rally made a bad joke about Puerto Rico being a pile of garbage.
Then, the current President countered by calling 80 million Americans HE IS RESPONSIBLE for, “garbage.”
Which will the media cover more? pic.twitter.com/rBURwPRSg2
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 30, 2024
Trump Surges To Victory – Get the Ultimate Trumpinator Bobblehead To Celebrate 2024!
The comments were made during a virtual Kamala campaign event on Tuesday, following a joke by stand-up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden.
Preston noted that Biden doubling down on these remarks could project a stronger stance for the Democratic Party, which he believes could positively impact public perception. “I’m of the mindset that if you say it, you might as well just embrace it, and I do think that that’s a problem for Democrats,” Preston remarked on CNN This Morning during a segment with host Kasie Hunt that included insights from political strategists.
According to Preston, Democrats tend to appear hesitant or overly cautious when making strong statements, a tendency he believes weakens the party’s image.
He argued that a direct, unapologetic stance from Biden would likely resonate with Democratic voters who want to see a firmer approach to the opposition. “If he said, listen, yeah, I do mean all those racist supporters of Donald Trump, yeah, I do think that they’re terrible. I think that people would look at the Democratic Party a little bit different,” Preston said.
He added, “I do think that the Democratic Party in general doesn’t look like they are strong enough and they will always back off of things. And I think that when Joe Biden backs off of saying what he really believes, I don’t think that’s a good look.”
NEW: CNN’s Mark Preston suggests Biden should embrace calling Trump supporters ‘garbage’ instead of backing off from saying what ‘he really believes’
“I’m of the mindset that if you say it, you might as well just embrace it, and I do think that that’s a problem for Democrats”… pic.twitter.com/h2mflqIs9l
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) October 30, 2024
The conversation reflects heightened tensions between the two major parties as the 2024 election approaches, with Biden’s allies increasing their rhetorical attacks on Trump.
This week, Kamala Harris and Democratic Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, Biden’s running mate, both delivered sharp criticisms aimed at the former president.
On Tuesday, Harris dedicated a significant portion of her speech to describing Trump as a “petty tyrant.”
JUST IN: Kamala Harris directly compares Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, says the patriots at Normandy didn’t die for America to “submit to another tyrant.”
Just 10 minutes earlier, Harris called on Americans to stop pointing fingers and come together.
“They didn’t do that only… pic.twitter.com/GnAhg9LJxD
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 30, 2024
Just a few days earlier, during a CNN town hall, she went so far as to label him a “fascist,” underscoring the administration’s intensified messaging as Election Day draws closer.
JUST IN: Kamala Harris calls Donald Trump a fascist at a town hall tonight.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 24, 2024
Meanwhile, Governor Walz took his critique further by comparing Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally to a 1939 gathering at the same venue by a group sympathetic to Nazi Germany.
Tim Walz just smeared all of the patriots attending President Trump’s MSG rally as Nazis:
“Donald Trump’s got this big rally going at Madison Square Garden. There’s a direct parallel to a big rally that happened in the 1930s at Madison Square Garden”pic.twitter.com/v2DVvMoE4k
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 27, 2024
These comments have drawn both attention and controversy as Democrats attempt to galvanize their base with an aggressive approach against Trump’s campaign.
Kamala responded to Biden’s ‘garbage’ comment when asked…
Kamala Harris DEFENDED Biden after he called 75 plus million voters “garbage,” but doesn’t have a problem with it because he “clarified his comments.”
Just last week, she was comparing Trump supporters at MSG to Nazis.
This is NOT what unifying America looks like. pic.twitter.com/UTmBoUCuhW
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) October 30, 2024
According to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls from Oct. 11 to Oct. 29, Harris trails Trump by a narrow 0.4 percent margin.
That lead shrinks further to just 0.1 percent when factoring in third-party candidates, including Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein, independent candidate Cornel West, and Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver.
These additional candidates could prove pivotal in a close election, potentially drawing support away from either major candidate and impacting the overall outcome.
Preston’s comments come amid Democratic concerns about effectively countering Trump’s base.
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