'Nothing is shocking anymore': Can Donald Trump get away with anything?

By Jacob Paul (with Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel)

Will racist comments made at a Trump rally damage the former president’s electoral chances?

Read time: 3 minutes

In brief…

• Speculation is mounting over whether racist comments made at a Trump rally will damage the Republicans chances in the presidential election.
• Trump has a reputation for being controversial and has been accused of racism in the past, so will one more comment shift the dial?
• Emily Maitlis is sceptical, but Jon Sopel says it could strike a chord with some undecided swing state voters.

What’s the story?

34 criminal convictions.

Allegations of racism, sexism and homophobia.

These are the kind of things you might expect to end someone’s political career.

Not Donald Trump.

After nearly a decade on the political stage, the former president is now on the verge of securing the top spot in the White House once again.

From calling Mexicans rapists to claiming Haitians are eating cats and dogs, Trump has a long list of controversial comments he has been criticised for.

So why is it that none of this alleged bigotry appears to impact his campaign in a negative way?

Or will it be the case that the Republican Party’s latest controversy comes back to bite him?

What is the latest controversy?

Trump is under the spotlight once again after a racist remark, although it was not made by him.

“It's a one remove”, as Emily Maitlis describes it.

This week, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made a racist joke at one of his rallies and referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage”.

Emily says: “He was invited [and] clearly endorsed by Trump, but there to entertain.”

A host of Puerto Rican celebrities came out blasting the comments, including Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez.

The Democrats are also trying to capitalise on this.

But his team appears to have recognised the comedian’s comments may have been damaging.

His campaign said in a statement: "This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."

Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, has refused to explicitly condemn the comedian’s comments.

“Maybe it’s a stupid, racist joke, as you said… Maybe it’s not. I haven’t seen it”, Vance said.

He added: “We have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America.”

Trump has since said that “nobody loves our Latino community and our Puerto Rican community more than I do”, at a following rally in Pennsylvania.

Will this make a difference on election day?

Pollster Kyle Condick tells The News Agents: “There could be a tendency, particularly with Trump and his allies, to think that this is going to be the thing that finally knocks him off.

“We've been having this conversation for almost a decade now, and here we are again and Donald Trump may be on the doorstep to getting elected president again.”

What’s the News Agents take?

“There is nothing that I cannot compute now. There is nothing that I find particularly shocking, particularly offensive or particularly surprising…  my fingers have got an asbestos coating when it comes to Trump” says Emily.

“I genuinely don't think any of this stuff moves the dial. I don't think it sends people away from Trump. I don't think it scares people off,” she adds.

Given that he has 34 felony charges, and has “tried to overturn a result and got his supporters to storm the capital”, Emily is adamant that a joke will not “have everyone clutching their pearls.”

Jon Sopel says that while there won’t be a “sudden tidal move of this sweeping wave, a tsunami, going against Trump”, it could have an impact.

That’s because, he says, it could nudge those few thousand people in swing state counties where the election will ultimately be decided.

Jon says: “I think in Trump land, they recognise that this has been a disaster.”

Emily disagrees.

“People have rationalised him already. They don't think that Trump is somebody who warms the cockles of your heart.

“They think he's somebody who pisses people off, and that's what they love about him. They love the fact that he is pissing people off and doesn't care, and that's where he thinks he's going to mobilise a whole different vote to come out.”

Listen in full on The News Agents USA.

---