In an interview with Bloomberg this week, a “senior advisor” to Donald Trump admitted that the Trump campaign is implementing a “voter suppression” strategy with the hopes of lowering the number of Democrats casting their votes for Hillary Clinton this election.
“We have three major voter suppression operations under way,” the unidentified senior official told Bloomberg, explaining that the efforts are targeting white liberals, young women and black voters.
One tactic is aimed at “idealistic” liberals who supported Senator Bernie Sanders highlights Hillary Clinton‘s support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, or TPP. Another focuses on the women who’ve come forward to accuse former president Bill Clinton of sexual assault — a tactic designed to suppress the female vote.
In regards to black voters, the senior official said the GOP nominee and his campaign are highlighting Clinton’s 1996 comments referring to some young black criminals as “super predators.”
“It will dramatically affect her ability to turn these people out,” the official said, referring to the three groups.
According to The Hill, “while people commonly understand the term “voter suppression” to mean illegal tactics to disenfranchise minority voters, the Trump campaign’s tactics would better be described as voter demoralization.”
From Bloomberg:
Campaigns spend millions on data science to understand their own potential supporters—to whom they’re likely already credible messengers—but here Trump is speaking to his opponent’s. Furthermore, there’s no scientific basis for thinking this ploy will convince these voters to stay home. It could just as easily end up motivating them.
Read the entire Bloomberg piece here.
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