James Carville Issues Dire Warning for Trump Over Rally Speaker’s Puerto Rico Comments: ‘This Is Going to Cost Him’
Democratic strategist James Carville said a speaker’s comments at a rally for Donald Trump will cost the former president in key swing states.
Trump held a rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made several racist jokes, including a crack about Puerto Rico.
“I don’t know if you guys know this, but there is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now,” he said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
The backlash has been swift, as several celebrities of Puerto Rican descent slammed Hinchcliffe. Rapper Bad Bunny, for example, responded by endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has sought to distance itself from Hinchcliffe’s comments.
Carville joined Monday’s edition of The Beat on MSNBC, where he discussed the ramifications with host Ari Melber.
“Donald Trump did about 46% in ’16 and got the Electoral College,” Melber said. “He did about 46% in 2020 and lost. And I ask you, did what we see and saw and lived tonight and through rally last night, does that help him get up over that 46% ceiling he had?”
Carville responded by noting that after 2016, Republicans under Trump’s leadership have underperformed in every election.
“He lost in 2018,” he said. “He lost in 2020. He lost in 2022. The Democrats have won every election that has been held in the last two years. Trump is a giant loser. The sooner people acknowledge that and know that it is true, they stop fearing him.”
Carville pivoted to note the number of voters of Puerto Rican voters in the swing state of Pennsylvania.
“Just one little factoid here,” he continued. “You know how many Puerto Rican voters there are in Pennsylvania? Two hundred and seventy-three thousand… This is gonna cost him votes. And there’s a substantial Puerto Rican vote also in Michigan.”
He then suggested Melber should ask MSNBC data guru Steve Kornacki to run the numbers
“Have Steve Kornacki look around and see how many Puerto Rican voters there are in swing states,” he added. “There’s a lot. And they much more identify with their island than almost anybody else around the world. I promise you that.”
“I’ll say most people, when you attack them for who they are, where they come from, or you try to paint them all with one brush, most people don’t find that a very appealing closing argument or a respectful way to engage,” Melber responded.
Watch above via MSNBC.
