Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Sara Fagen, the former White House political director for President George W. Bush, told ABC News that the entrance of real estate developer and reality TV star Donald Trump — who she called a “serious candidate,” — into the race for president, “is likely to cheapen the discourse of the entire Republican field.”
Trump, during a rally this week in New York, declared that he would be seeking the GOP nomination for the presidency.
ABC News’ full exchange with Fagen, who will appear on the This Week roundtable Sunday, below:
What do you make of Donald Trump’s entrance into the race for president? He’s definitely generating a lot of buzz. Do you view him as a serious candidate?
SF: I do think he’s a serious candidate, though mostly because he’s likely to cheapen the discourse of the entire Republican field. And, in doing so tarnish the GOP brand. Donald Trump refers to some of opponents as “losers”, “morons”, and “idiots”. There are over a dozen very serious and thoughtful contenders for the GOP nomination; none of them are losers or idiots.
Jeb Bush also jumped into the 2016 race this week, but it remains unclear how he might use his brother – President George W. Bush — during the campaign. You of course worked for President Bush. What is the best way for him to be utilized in your view during his brother’s campaign?
SF: I think it’s important for Governor Jeb Bush to establish himself as his own man and develop a connection to voters based on his values and policy prescriptions for the country. Regardless of voters’ views on his brother, Jeb shouldn’t lean much on President Bush. Although I’d point out that his brother is in the 80th or 90th percentiles of favorability in all early primary states. And, he is now more popular than President Obama among the general electorate.
Following the president’s response to the mass shooting in Charleston, Gov. Bobby Jindal tweeted “It’s a shame that in his first statement to the nation, the President would inject gun control politics into this.” Do you agree?
SF: Sort of. It would have been classier to just offer words of condolences to the victims’ families and asked the country to pray for them. But, the President has a right to push his policies whenever he chooses. He was right to point out that he’s had to make too many statements after senseless acts of violence.
Mitt Romney said recently that the biggest mistake he made during the 2012 campaign “was not focusing very early on minority voters.” Do you think the current crop of candidates is doing a better job?
SF: Yes. I think the fact that the field is so diverse helps too. Republicans have two strong Hispanic candidates along with buzz-worthy female and African-American candidates. And, I thought Governor Bush’s announcement (including his near perfect Spanish) was particularly mindful of the changing demographics of the country. Democrats have never had as diverse a field as the group of 2016 GOP contenders.
Excluding individuals who are currently running or strongly considering a run for the White House, who do you think will be strongly considered for the vice presidential slots on the GOP and Democratic tickets? Could you name one person for each party?
SF: Neither of these is particularly original, but both will at least be considered by top Party brass. Republican Susana Martinez. She is one of the most popular Governors in America. And, Democrat Julian Castro will get a look, especially if Republicans nominate Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz. Although in the final analysis, I suspect Mrs. Clinton moves so far to the left in the primary, she looks for a more conservative Democrat to serve on her ticket.
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