Political risk for all in Trump-Clinton ‘deplorables’ debate
WASHINGTON — A war of words over Donald Trump’s “deplorables” is intensifying as Republicans and Democrats fight for political points over Hillary Clinton’s claim that many of the New York billionaire’s supporters are racist, sexist and homophobic.
Trump and his allies across the country insisted Tuesday that the Democratic presidential nominee’s comments reflect an out-of-touch elitist who looks down on working-class voters, akin to 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s assertion that 47 per cent of Americans would never vote for him because they were dependent on the government. Democrats — and even some Republicans — warned, however, that this debate could backfire on Trump, drawing new attention to white supremacists and hate groups attracted by his “America first” message.
Indeed, former KKK leader David Duke offered fresh praise for the way that Trump and running mate Mike Pence are handling the controversy. But not all Republicans were pleased.
“Let’s remember that, weird as it may seem, a lot of voters are only just now tuning in, so they may not be aware of the fact that David Duke, various KKK organizations, the alt-right en masse, Vladimir Putin and other foreign authoritarian enemies of America — people who really are deplorable — are supporting Trump,” said Liz Mair, a Washington-based Republican operative and a vocal Trump critic.