Michael, I see a flaw or two in the Jeb campaign’s video hitting Trump.
For starters, maybe the video of Trump saying these things will shake loose some Trump backers, but I’m skeptical. Those quotes have been mentioned in plenty of articles about Trump since he began his rise in the polls, and most of his supporters simply disregard them as irrelevant. Maybe Trump’s comment that his views are different from people who live in Iowa will do damage in that state, if that clip is aired a lot in the weeks before the caucuses.
Most of Trump’s fans will dismiss the comments in the video as ancient history — with some justification. Are pro-life fans of Trump going to be shaken by a 1999 declaration that he’s “very pro-choice”? Probably not.
The video of Trump testifying about tax rates and declaring that “the fact is, the 25 percent for high-income people should be raised substantially…” comes from… 1991.
The exchange of Trump being asked, “Why are you a Republican?” and him answering, “I have no idea!” is from 1988.
The praise for Hillary is more recent, but Trump’s donations to the Clintons and invitation to his wedding was hashed out in the first debate, with little sign it did much damage.
Fred Barnes wrote after watching a focus group of Trump fans that their “tie to him is almost mystical. He’s a kind of political savior.” That sort of faith isn’t easily shaken, and it won’t even wobble from quotes that date from when Marco Rubio was in high school.
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