CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was stunned Wednesday by a surrogate's defense of Donald Trump, calling his explanation of the former president's bombastic statements literally “bullshit.”
On AC360Former California Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado, a Republican, said Trump's recent comments calling on the military to “deal with” Democrats were simply his way of channeling his inner New Yorker. “He's a fighter,” Maldonado added.
The conversation began when Cooper brought up former Trump Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, who, like other military leaders, has begun warning about the dangers of the former president's re-election. Milli called Trump is a “fascist to the core.”
Maldonado, for his part, insisted that Milley and others who disparaged Trump did so only after they had fallen out of favor with him.
“A lot of these people, Anderson, when they work for him, he's a good guy. President Trump is good when they work for him,” he said.
After a fair amount of crosstalk, Maldonado continued: “They went to work for him for some reason, obviously to please the president. They went to work to help America, to help President Trump, and suddenly they have differences. They move on. And then he's a 'fascist.'
Cooper responded, “Well, I don't think we'll ever be able to know why they work for them, because I think a lot of military people would say they went to work for the administration because they felt they could maybe soften the policies of that administration.”
Reporter Carl Bernstein, who also attended the discussion, at one point asked Maldonado directly whether Trump was a “fascist.”
Maldonado answered with a resounding “no.” But when asked if Trump says “fascist things,” Maldonado's answer was less clear.
“I mean, look. He's a New Yorker. He's a fighter. He's a leader,” he said, to which Bernstein responded that “New Yorkers who fight don't usually cry out for fascism.”
At this point Cooper intervened. “You’re from California, by the way,” he said. “The Central Park Five kids – they were actually New Yorkers. So the idea that Donald Trump is a New Yorker and this is what New Yorkers say is just nonsense…”
“I'm from California and we look at New York, as you know, they're fighters. They're tough. They tell it like it is. They'll say it out loud,” he said with a grin.
“But it’s a comic book,” Cooper replied. “Again, there are 8 million people in the city.”
Cooper later asked Trump's surrogate if he had done anything that “concerned” him.
Maldonado didn't answer directly, prompting Cooper to ask again: “Is there anything you think Trump shouldn't do or that he's done poorly?”
“Well, Anderson, I mean, when it comes to inflation, he's brought down inflation. When it comes to the border, he's closed it. When it comes to crime, he's brought down crime,” he responded, essentially making his answer self-evident.
“On the main issues, no,” Maldonado said for emphasis.