the national interest

Republican Party Now So Diverse It Includes White Guys Wearing Camo

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Republican representative Jim Jordan chairs the House Freedom Caucus, which is the 40 or so Republicans who refuse to vote for anything that can pass and like to threaten regular coups against their party leadership. But how do the craziest-of-the-crazy Republicans think their party can win a majority in a country that’s growing more diverse? In an interview with John Harwood, Jordan gave an interesting response:

HARWOOD: What you hear anti-Trump Republicans saying is that we need to follow the autopsy of 2012. We’ve got a party that is too insular, that is speaking to too few people and is not reaching out to African-Americans, Hispanics. It is it not adapting to the way the culture is changing on issues like gay marriage.

JORDAN: I disagree. I was at a Trump event just last week. You saw all kinds of folks there — African-Americans, Hispanics-Americans, 8,000 people crammed into this fairground arena.

HARWOOD: If you look at the polls, he is doing very poorly among African-Americans.

JORDAN: I’m telling you what I saw there. You saw people in camo[uflage]. You don’t always see people in camo at a Republican event. When we opened this headquarters, a gentleman I hadn’t seen before says, “I’m a union pipe-fitter voting for Donald Trump and I don’t care what my union leadership says.” I said, “Good for you dude, you sound like my Dad.” My Dad was a union worker for General Motors. In 1980 he said “the heck with this, I’m voting for Ronald Reagan.” You’re seeing this dynamic. So I think we are bringing some new people into the party. That’s a good thing.

So Jordan does begin by insisting that racial minorities really love Trump, but when presented with polling evidence to the contrary, he switches over to the claim that Trump is attracting more dudes who wear camo outfits. Outreach!

GOP Now So Diverse It Includes White Guys Wearing Camo