Donna Brazile Criticizes Reince Priebus for Backing Trump Despite Attacks and Insults
ABC/screen grab
During a recent discussion on ABC News, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile took former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Reince Priebus to task for continuing to support Donald Trump despite the former president’s history of personal attacks and divisive rhetoric.
Host Martha Raddatz initiated the conversation by pointing out that several prominent Republicans had advised Trump to focus his campaign on substantive issues rather than personal attacks. However, instead of heeding that advice, Trump rehired his 2016 campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, known for his philosophy of letting “Trump be Trump.”
“His book was called, and his philosophy is to let Trump be Trump,” Raddatz noted. “What does that say to you?” Priebus responded by arguing that Trump’s personality is inseparable from his political brand. “The thing is with Trump is that you can’t also win this election, you can’t divorce yourself of who Donald Trump is and his personality,” Priebus explained. “He represents a huge middle finger to a lot of people.”
Shifting to policy, Priebus criticized Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, claiming she couldn’t win on her policy proposals. “Giving people $25,000 to buy a house isn’t gonna do anything for the economy,” he insisted.
Brazile, however, was quick to counter, directing her criticism squarely at Trump. “We know that every time he opens his mouth, there’s nothing but lies, insults, and vulgarity, and people are tired of it,” Brazile asserted. “The American people don’t want this anymore. They don’t want a president who basically divides us.”
She continued, emphasizing Trump’s divisive nature. “They don’t want a president who calls us names, who cannot even pronounce the name of the vice president of the United States. It’s Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris.”
Priebus, attempting to defend his stance, accused Harris of misleading the public. “Kamala is lying to the American people” about issues like immigration and the economy, he claimed. Brazile, undeterred, questioned the wisdom of supporting Trump. “You want the defeatist attitude that Donald Trump has?” she asked. “Somebody who criticized the military?”
As Priebus tried to pivot the conversation to Afghanistan, Raddatz intervened, signaling an end to the back-and-forth. “OK, as the moderator here of the debate and I’m going to cut that off,” she cautioned. In a final remark, Brazile took a parting shot at Priebus. “I’m glad you can pronounce her name,” she said. “And we’re proud of the job of the Biden-Harris administration.”
