President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale said of all the Democrats who could face Mr. Trump in the general election, he thinks Senator Bernie Sanders is “on a rise.” He also said the Senate impeachment trial of Mr. Trump “excites” the president’s base ahead of the presidential election.
Asked on “CBS This Morning” Wednesday which Democratic candidate the Trump campaign is most worried about, Parscale said, “We’re building a system that’s ready for anyone, but I think Bernie’s on a rise right now, but I think the media’s — I think he’s getting a little bit of the shaft again.”
Parscale added that the Vermont senator is “tough” in some places.
“I think he’s tough in places where people are making $12 an hour,” he said.
Parscale also commented on the Senate impeachment trial of Mr. Trump, saying it will result in more engagement in the election.
“It excites the base. Remember, turnout’s important. There’s tens of millions of people that will show up and vote for the president that might have not showed up,” he said. “I will tell you, the president has a larger base now, significantly from 2016.”
The campaign’s fundraising also has been up recently, Parscale said.
“It’s up 20-30% over the last couple of months,” he said.
Responding to a comment by Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg’s campaign manager saying Parscale was only campaigning in six states, he said that wasn’t true.
“I think what he meant to say was there’s probably six states we’re focusing on,” Parscale said. “We actually are on the ground in 17 states.”
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