Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, believes that the state is in play for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
In an interview Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Rendell told Politico that Trump’s attack on trade agreements and his focus on “law and order” are at the forefront of the reasons for why he is competitive in the state.
The GOP candidate has lambasted the Trans-Pacific Partnership put forward by the Obama administration many times.
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In an interview with Breitbart in November, Trump said, “The deal is so bad because of the fact they don’t cover currency manipulation. It’s the No. 1 weapon used by foreign countries to hurt the United States and take away jobs.”
As China is expected to join the TPP within the next few years, Trump further argued in the interview that having such a major currency manipulator on board would lead to ruinous results for the United States.
Speaking to Politico about Trump’s message on trade and law and order, Rendell stated, “It resonates. There’s no question about it.”
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Rendell brought up Trump’s outsourcing jobs to manufacture his products, but then said, “It doesn’t matter” to many older white voters who are drawn to him.
The former governor challenged possible Trump voters to consider: “What I would say to those voters is, ‘Hey you’re going to vote Republican? Who voted to cut off unemployment compensation when Democrats wanted to extend it? When you were out of work and your family desperately needed help, the Republicans consistently voted to cut if off. We consistently voted to extend it. Are you crazy?’ But it doesn’t seem to work.”
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