Ridiculous: McConnell Challenger Defends Comparison of Trump Victory to 9/11
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell doesn’t appear to have much to worry about concerning his newest election challenger, Amy McGrath.
McGrath, a former U.S. Marine aviator who, on Tuesday, announced a campaign against McConnell, is taking serious heat for a now-infamous comparison of President Donald Trump’s 2016 victory to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
According to Fox News, in 2017, McGrath said of Trump’s win, “The only feeling I can describe that’s any close to it was the feeling I had after 9/11.”
In what might have came as a surprise to many, the Democratic challenger was taken to task over her comments by none other than CNN’s Jake Tapper. He asked McGrath in a Tuesday interview if she thought her 9/11 comparison would undermine her pitch to Kentucky voters.
The “Team McConnell” Twitter response to her video was priceless, posting the caption, “This is embarrassing.”
This is embarrassing. #KYSen pic.twitter.com/zFctL6QlkW
— Team Mitch (@Team_Mitch) July 9, 2019
McGrath’s answer was, in fact, embarrassing and likely didn’t do anything to smooth over how upset and disrespected actual survivors of Sept. 11 were after her demeaning comments — not to mention the families of the deceased and, quite frankly, all Americans.
“Well, what I was talking about was the fact that, you know, nobody really expected President Trump to win. And I was talking also about the entire 2016 cycle,” McGrath tried to explain.
Now that I think about it, McGrath may be solely responsible for starting the “Trump Derangement Syndrome” epidemic that currently plagues the Democratic party. Huh.
Oh, and please watch the video to the end if you haven’t already, because it gets even more awkward.
As Tapper thanked her for appearing on his show, she responded by saying, “Great to have you,” which is something usually reserved for the show host to say.
Anyway, after her weak explanation, she went on in an effort to save face (which didn’t work) by saying that what she really meant was how Democrats were “spurred into action” after his election. She also brought up “fake news” and the “divisiveness” of America as a result.
“We took stock of that after the election and we said, ‘Where are we as a country?’ And that way it was the same thing for me was looking at that tragic event and taking stock of: ‘Where are we as a country?’ So that’s what I was saying, and I can see why, you know, folks might be upset about that. But that is what I was saying.,” McGrath told Tapper.
Well, at least she can see why “folks might be upset about that.”
So, not only did she refuse to apologize for her absurd 2017 comparison, she essentially defended it.
Now, I live relatively close to Kentucky and I know people who live there. There’s a good reason Kentucky went super red for Trump. Part of the reason is because they’re some of the most patriotic folks in this great nation and they love Trump because Trump loves America.
Let’s be honest here — she pretty much sealed her political fate when she compared Trump’s victory to the death of thousands of Americans on Sept. 11. I’d say the same thing if she were a Republican. There are just some lines one doesn’t cross and boy, did she leap across it with that.
And look, while I completely respect and appreciate McGrath’s U.S. military service to the fullest, that’s just not going to be enough to convince Kentucky voters to oust a five-time senator they’ve kept in office since 1984.
I can’t imagine it’s going to be easy for her to find donors to fill her campaign coffers to fight what will inevitably be a losing battle.
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