Getty Richard Cordray; Donald Trump
President Trump weighed in on the Ohio gubernatorial race on Friday night, calling the Democratic candidate, Richard Cordray, a “very bad guy.” Trump was addressing a crowd of his supporters in Lebanon, Ohio on Friday night. You can watch the full rally live here. You can watch Trump talk about Cordray here:
Trump praised the Republican candidate for governor — Mike DeWine – and his running mate, John Husted. He heaped scorn on the Democratic candidate, Richard Cordray, who is also the former head of the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau, or CFPB. Cordray was appointed to the post by Barack Obama, and Obama stumped for Cordray in Ohio last month.
Trump Said That Getting Cordray Elected Would Be ‘A Pocahantas Dream’
The president said, “Mike [DeWine] and John [Husted] are running against Elizabeth Warren’s far-left disciple, Richard Cordray. He did such a bad job at the agency he ran. It was terrible. He was hurting people, and I think he enjoyed it. No really, I think he enjoyed it. He was putting people out of business.” Trump went on to detail how much money Cordray had “wasted” on building a new elevator. He said that Cordray “does not belong in Ohio” and would be “an absolute disaster” for the state. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing. I couldn’t wait to get him out,” Trump went on.
Speaking to enormous applause, Trump said, “This is a Pocahantas dream, to get this guy elected.” “Pocahantas” is Trump’s nickname for Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator who is likely to run for president in 2020. Trump has been mentioning “Pocahantas” at nearly all of his rallies recently, as he tours the country to gather support for Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections.
Later, Elizabeth Warren herself chimed in, calling on Ohioans to donate money to Cordray’s gubernatorial campaign. “Show @realDonaldTrump that his attacks on Ohio’s next governor @RichCordray only make Rich stronger. Chip in now to help Rich’s campaign,” Warren wrote.
Show @realDonaldTrump that his attacks on Ohio’s next governor @RichCordray only make Rich stronger. Chip in now to help Rich’s campaign:
Cordray Says Ohioans ‘Deserve a Governor Who Will Stand Up to Trump
In @realdonaldtrump‘s speech tonight, he said that as the U.S. consumer watchdog I was “hurting people” and “really enjoyed it.” I don’t mind the insults, but Ohioans deserve a governor who will stand up to Donald Trump. Help me fight back by donating now. t.co/GFAWpFGC5x
It wasn’t long, of course, before Richard Cordray responded to Trump’s jabs. Cordray took to Twitter — not to defend himself, but to ask for support in his race for governor. Cordray painted the campaign as a race against Trump and asked his supporters to rally around him to help me “stand up” to the president. Cordray wrote, “In @realdonaldtrump’s speech tonight, he said that as the U.S. consumer watchdog I was “hurting people” and “really enjoyed it.” I don’t mind the insults, but Ohioans deserve a governor who will stand up to Donald Trump. Help me fight back by donating now.”
Cordray has said that he decided to run for governor of Ohio partly because he was upset by the way that the president responded to the protests in Charlottesville. “I saw political life as I saw it in this country deteriorating in many ways,” Cordray told The Enquirer editorial board. “The remarks (from Trump) about Charlottesville I thought were really distressing, infuriating.”