Many observers were mystified when Donald Trump attacked New Mexico Republican Gov. Susana Martinez. But the story was really very simple: Martinez hit Trump, so Trump hit back. Especially now that Trump is the GOP's presumptive nominee, he attempted to make an example of a Republican who won't get with the program. It might work, or it might not, but from Trump's perspective it's the tactic he used to beat 15 rivals for the GOP nomination.
The Trump-Martinez bewilderment focused on four factors: Martinez is Hispanic, she's a woman, she's a Republican (head of the Republican Governors Association), and she's popular. "I think it sent all the wrong signals," said Newt Gingrich, who has generally been pro-Trump. "You particularly don't want to see your candidate who needs to...get stronger with Latinos, and stronger with women, attack a Latina woman Republican governor."
"[Trump] has a problem with women, Hispanics, and Republicans," said George Will on Fox News Sunday, "so he attacks a Republican Hispanic woman governor."
Trump ignored all those concerns. Also on Fox, campaign manager Corey Lewandowski explained that Trump's remarks about Martinez at a May 24 rally in Albuquerque — Trump said, "The governor has to do a better job. She's not doing the job" — was simply a continuation of Trump's habit of discussing economic problems wherever he travels. "Outlining the economy of a specific location is something that he has done across the country, everywhere we've gone, because we need to highlight the problems that we have and what we're going to do to fix those problems," Lewandowski said.
It's true. Trump has pointed to economic problems in state after state. But he has no more Republican rivals to defeat now, and he is trying to consolidate GOP support. And there are those problems with Hispanic and women voters. (Indeed, many Republican criticisms of Trump's Albuquerque speech could be boiled down to "But, but, she's...Hispanic!") So why go on the offensive?
Get the Exclusive
04.19.2024