CNN political director says Trump FBI raid could work for Trump and Democrats politically
David Chailan, CNN's political director, said Tuesday that the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago could work in favor of both Trump and the Democrats politically.
Guests on "CNN Newsroom" on Monday discussed whether the raid on former president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home might overshadow the recent "major victories" of the Biden administration.
"We’ve seen two instances now where the Biden White House has been announcing major victories," guest host Alex Marquardt asked. "Now we have him today about to sign the CHIPS Act. He is celebrating the Inflation Reduction Act, and now we have this news about the search. Is this earth-shattering news stepping on the White House’s political win?"
CNN political director David Chailan said that he believed the White House thinks they're going to be able to sell the "victories" ahead of the midterm elections.
"I have to say, though, I’m not sure that having Donald Trump’s home raided is necessarily a bad thing politically for Democrats too. It sort of puts Donald Trump back into the center of action. And he is a unifying force among Democrats. It gives them a point of opposition to rally around. It may motivate some Democrats to show up, which is why I think one of the big questions out of this news is sort of what does this mean for Donald Trump’s political calculations of this short-term moment," Chailan said.
FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington before boarding Marine One. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
The FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on Monday, executing a search warrant related to classified documents the former president allegedly brought back to his private residence after leaving the White House.
Chailan also noted Trump's response to the raid and said he was energizing his base.
We see him utilizing the raid as a way to immediately raise money, juice energy inside his base. That statement he put out yesterday, I mean, that was completely crafted as a base rallying statement, this notion that the state is persecuting him and raiding his home," he said. "This is the stuff that fuels up the Trump MAGA base of American politics, and he knows that, and so he’s tapping into it. Puts out a video. Puts out a fund-raising appeal."
He said it the news could work in favor of both parties.
Mar-a-Lago after the FBI raid on August 8, 2022. FBI agents raided the home of former President Donald Trump looking for documents. (Brooke Singman)
"And again, I just think this moment could work for Donald Trump politically. It also can work for the Democrats politically because they have found themselves motivated when he is injected into the center of the political conversation," he said.
A man with a Trump 2024 flag is pictured outside Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida following an FBI raid on Donald Trump's private home. (Alon Skuy/Fox News Digital)
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Trump released a statement on Monday evening saying his Mar-a-Lago home was "under siege" by a large group of FBI agents.
"Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before. After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate," Trump said on Monday.
He added, "It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don't want me to run for President in 2024, especially based on recent polls, and who will likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming Midterm Elections."
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