Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Democratic establishment underestimated Donald Trump as a candidate in the 2016 general election.
And former House Speaker Harry Reid has a warning for liberals this time around. He says that the president is a “very, very smart man” — and could easily win re-election.
In the high stakes, hyper partisan world of national politics, such a powerful endorsement from a rival party leader is sure to make waves.
“I used to think that Donald Trump was not too smart. I certainly don’t believe that anymore,” Reid told CNN pundit David Axelrod over the weekend. “I don’t think he’s intellectually a powerhouse, but he is basically a very, very smart man. No matter what the subject, any argument he involves himself in, it’s on his terms.”
When asked how he would attempt to run against Trump if he were a candidate, Reid hardly even acknowledged the question.
Instead, he had only this to say: “What I say initially, and I say it right here on your show. Anyone that thinks Trump’s gonna be beaten easily should have another thing coming.”
And even Axelrod later admitted on the CNN airwaves that, “[Reid is] acknowledging what I think most people have to, which is that Trump has a certain genius for commanding the stage and driving the debate.”
Even Axelrod, a former Chief Strategist for the Obama campaigns, seems worried about Trump’s re-election chances.
“It is a challenge for Democratic candidates who’re running against him.”
As for Reid, his endorsement of Trump isn’t the first.
Back in August, Reid slammed Democrats’ far-left shift and warned that Trump could win again.
And in September, Reid said that he’d choose Trump over socialism.
He even told the Las Vegas Sun that “[Trump] is a very personable man” over the summer.
And now he’s doubling down on all the Trump praise he’s been pitching all year — a very worrying sign for the Democrats that one of their most powerful former leaders seems to have NO confidence in his party.
The Horn editorial team