Stirewalt: Trump's Omar, AOC comments leading Pelosi to try to 'trap Republicans'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to "trap Republicans" after President Trump made incendiary remarks about a handful of progressive lawmakers, according to Chris Stirewalt.
The GOP, however, must be careful not to overhype their political differences in response, Stirewalt claimed Monday on "The Daily Briefing."
"The point here is to trap Republicans," he said, after Rep. Pelosi, D-Calif. announced a resolution to formally condemn the president's comments.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If you're a Republican from a swing district... if you represent suburbs of Dallas or Houston, these are difficult votes. And that's what Pelosi is trying to tease out here."
TRUMP STOKES FIRESTORM OVER 'GO BACK' TWEETS, SAYS DEM FRESHMEN 'HATE' AMERICA
In addition, Stirewalt claimed Republicans -- or those who advertise on their behalf -- can risk appearing extreme with some of the contrasts they draw with progressive Democratic lawmakers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We live in such a rankly dumb moment that there are Republicans running campaign ads with Vladimir Ilyich Lenin with members of Congress, and it's like 'OK, cool, whatevs,'," he claimed.
"Democrats will tell you every Republican is racist. Republicans will tell you every Democrat is a socialist."
Earlier Monday, while answering questions from the press at the White House, Trump made clear his criticisms were aimed at freshman congresswomen like Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. He alleged Omar in particular “hates Israel, hates Jews” and even suggested she has “love” for enemies like Al Qaeda.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The comments escalate an already raging battle between Trump and congressional Democrats.
Omar fired back, tweeting to Trump: "You are stoking white nationalism bc you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While some Republicans were steering clear of the melee, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, issued a brief statement saying the original Trump tweet should be removed: "I disagree strongly with many of the views and comments of some of the far-left members of the House Democratic Caucus – especially when it comes to their views on socialism, their anti-Semitic rhetoric, and their negative comments about law enforcement – but the President’s tweet that some Members of Congress should go back to the ‘places from which they came’ was way over the line, and he should take that down.”
Fox News' Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.