In a CNN panel discussion, pollster Frank Luntz warns that if the New York Attorney General seizes Donald Trump's assets, it could fuel a victimhood narrative, boosting Trump's popularity and potentially aiding his re-election bid. Luntz criticizes Trump's opponents for their ineffective campaign strategies and their inability to understand public sentiment.
Here's the video:
Here's the transcript:
BERMAN: “All right, Frank, the politics of this. Folks in the Biden campaign are already starting to refer to Donald Trump as ‘broke Don,’ which is interesting. And then there is the possibility that the New York Attorney General, Letitia James, would have to start or would start seizing assets, maybe even buildings. How do you think that would play?”
LUNTZ: “I want you to remember this moment, and don’t forget it. If the New York Attorney General starts to take his homes away, starts to seize his assets, it’s all going to be on camera, pundits are going to sit there and scream about this, ‘This man cannot be elected,’ you’re going to create the greatest victimhood of 2024 and you’re going to elect Donald Trump. If they take his stuff, he’s going to say that this is proof that the federal government and the establishment and the swamp in Washington and all the politicians across the country and the attorneys generals and all of this, that this is a conspiracy to deny him the presidency. He’s going to go up in the polls, just like he went up every single time they indicted him. The indictment, let’s not talk about whether it’s justified or not, but it will prove the things that he’s saying on the campaign trail, and he will go up and it may just elect him president. Do not forget that. And I say this to the attorney general right now, if you play politics on this, this is what the secretaries of state did in Colorado and what they did in, I believe, is Maine. His numbers went up in both states. I don’t understand. I’m almost speechless in how pathetic the opposition to Trump has been and how completely misguided. And this is a perfect example of it.”
BERMAN: “What do you think about that?”
MATTINGLY: “I mean, my biggest question, this is the beauty of Frank having his job, which I don’t have, is that happened — well, you’re talking about Maine, Colorado, when you’re talking about what happened in a primary. And while I don’t disagree with the optics, I’ve spoken to people inside Trump world who are saying, ‘Instead of bankruptcy,’ we said in the piece, ‘come to Trump Tower, please. We’ll have cameras there. We’ll have that fight. We’ll win that optics battle.’ I think the bigger question is, in a general election, and given the fact that the Biden campaign has really latched onto this in a way that they haven’t in most legal issues — “
BERMAN: Broke Don. I was surprised to hear that.”
MATTINGLY: “He was joking about it last night at a fundraiser as well, that was off camera, whether or not that rise in the polls can carry into a general election. And you’d know better than — I mean, you’re talking to people, you’d know better.”
LUNTZ: “How is Donald Trump beating Joe Biden? He’s got 85 indictments that still exist, felonies. How is he beating Joe Biden with the economy getting better and things cleaning up? Okay. We got — you still have inflation. You still got immigration. Trump is leading. And in the seven swing states, Trump is up by the margin of error in five out of seven. Why is that happening? Because his critics are stupid and they’re running a horrible campaign. And for those people who do not want Donald Trump back, they should be thankful that the people who are orchestrating his loss are as pathetic and they don’t understand the American people.”
