Although lesser known that her three colleagues, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) is counted among “The Squad,” one of the four congresswomen that President Trump suggested should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” During an interview on CBS This Morning, Pressley responded to Trump’s attacks, explaining to Gayle King why she refers to the president as the “occupant” of the White House instead of by his official title.
The congresswoman huffily told King that President Trump “is only occupying the space. He does not embody the principles, the responsibility, the grace, the integrity of a true president… I’m not dishonoring the office. He does every day.”
WATCH: Rep. @AyannaPressley says President Trump is the "occupant" of this White House. "He is only occupying the space. He does not embody the principles, the responsibility, the grace, the integrity of a true president… I'm not dishonoring the office. He does everyday." pic.twitter.com/aSetGCHN0p
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) July 17, 2019
Rep. Pressley wasn’t alone in the interview, being joined by the other three members of “The Squad” — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn). Tlaib felt the need to insert into the conversation that President Trump is “the biggest bully” she’s ever encountered.
Pressley’s comments to CBS This Morning were a doubling down on the statement she made during the congresswomen’s joint press conference on Tuesday. Riling up the sympathetic crowd, she said that she will only refer to Donald Trump as the occupant of the White House and not the president. She added, “We are grateful for your solidarity, your encouragement, and your support, in the face of the most recent xenophobic, bigoted remarks from the occupant of our White House.”
Democrats, of course, are laying aside their differences at the moment as they rally around Pressley and her better-known colleagues. From Nancy Pelosi condemning Trump from the House floor to the myriad of articles in the MSM calling anyone even remotely associated with Donald Trump a racist, the left appears more galvanized than usual. However, what matters come November 2020 is how the voters respond.
It’s been suggested that it’s a mistake for the Democrats to respond to our president. Writing an op-ed for Politico, Charles Sykes gives Democrats a history lesson. According to Sykes, leading into the 1972 presidential election, “the Democrats were giddy with anticipation.” You see, Nixon was perceived as imminently beatable. However, in their giddiness, the Democrats moved hard left, scaring much of the country. The rest, of course, is history as Nixon won 520 electoral votes and nearly 61% of the popular vote on his way to reelection.
Sykes then warns the current crop of Democrats that they’re in danger of making the same mistake.
I’ve often wondered if Donald Trump isn’t a master at the shell-game, keeping his opponents focused on one hand while he picks their pocket with his other hand. If so, Sykes may be correct and the Democrats are doggedly focused on the wrong hand. Rep. Pressley may be doing exactly what President Trump wants her to do as she drags the rest of her party to her position on the far left.
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