Former Republican Rep. David Jolly said on MSNBC's “The Leadout” on Tuesday that rhetoric about immigration used to “scare white America” is “the ethos of the Republican Party today.”
Host Joy Reid said, “It's because of J.D. Vance that the children of Springfield, Ohio can't go to school without being surrounded by armed guards. He represents them as a United States senator. We're coming up to an election where his name will be on the ballot, and after he's done the same thing to the children of his state, he'll be asked to run for vice president of the United States. They're expecting Republicans, especially white Republicans, to vote for him and run for Senate against Sherrod Brown. Should we expect the voters of Ohio not to do that?”
“This is a terrifying moment for the campaign and the country, and it's been instigated by the likes of J.D. Vance, Laura Loomer and Donald Trump,” Jolly said. “I think last week, you and I discussed the Willie Horton narrative that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance would be running – perhaps this is the 2024 Willie Horton ad. They're trying to scare white America, in this case that legal immigrants who are contributing to our communities are some kind of threat. And they bring up the Proud Boys and bomb threats and all that. But I would also say that J.D. Vance and Donald Trump are not alone in their guilt. This is a reflection of the Republican Party today.”
He added, “I think it relates directly to what Katie Britt said in her State of the Union address, which was basically that black and brown people are invading white communities and we should be afraid. She spoke about how scary it is to be a white woman because black and brown people might invade your neighborhood. This is not just a campaign tactic, it's the ethos of the Republican Party today.”
Follow Pam Key on X Follow
