CNN Commentator Pushes Back Against Paul Begala For Claiming Trump Is Too ‘Unhinged’ To Be President

CNN political commentator Shermichael Singleton pushed back against the Democratic consultant Paul Begala for spewing claims that Republican nominee Donald Trump is too “unhinged” to be reelected.

Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump “increasingly unstable and unhinged” during a rally in Pennsylvania Monday night, playing clips of the former president calling his opponents the “enemy within.” Singleton pushed back against Begala’s claim that Trump is too “unhinged” and “weak,” arguing that independent voters are largely supporting the former president.

“The Democrats have a political party. Political parties exist to win. Democrats believe that Biden could not win, I was one of them. Biden stepped aside,” Begala said. “The Republicans have become a cult of personality. Trump is not their strongest candidate. He’s the only president since Herbert Hoover who lost the House, the Senate, the White House in 4 years. That’s hard to do. So, believe me, if they could’ve put somebody else up, they’d be up 10 points right now … But the real MAGA acolytes around him are not doing the country any favors by fancying some guy who’s clearly just unhinged and too weak to do the job.”

“But you know what’s so interesting about this, Paul, and I’ve thought a lot about this, the race is tied. And I don’t think it’s just the Trump voters who have allowed the president to showcase his interesting level of strength, that’s typically underestimated,” Singleton replied. “So, looking at this, you’re wondering who are the swing voters out there, who are those swing voters, those independent voters who are saying ‘you know what? Maybe I don’t like the personality, maybe I don’t like the traits, but there are other issue that I think he’s stronger on. They appear to be supporting him which is why the vice president doesn’t have the lead that she had a couple weeks ago.”

An NBC News poll from Sunday found that Trump and Harris are tied 48% to 48% in the month of October, meaning Harris’ 5-point lead, 49% to 44%, dropped from the month of September. The poll calculating Harris’ lead in September was conducted before the Sept. 10 presidential debate before the vice president began her media blitz with friendly outlets.

Harris’ averages in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin dropped from 2-point advantages in September to 1-point leads, standing significantly lower than former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s and President Joe Biden’s 8-point leads during the 2016 and 2020 elections. Clinton lost those states in 2016 and Biden won those states by slim margins in the 2020 election, indicating that Trump outperforms polling averages.

Harris further warned during the Monday rally that Trump would be “a huge risk for America” and govern with “unchecked power,” according to NBC News.