'Deflect and divide': Booker says Trump's NABJ comments are an outrageous attempt to distract

The New York Times >>> WELL BABY, WHAT A DIFFERENCE A MONTH MAKES FOR DEMOCRATS. TAKE A LOOK AT THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES FOUR WEEKS AGO TODAY. THE TOP STORY, ALL ABOUT HOW SOME IN THE PARTY WORRIED ABOUT PRESIDENT BIDEN'S MENTAL STATE AFTER. AND HERE IS THE TOP. BEYONCE HAS CONQUERED THE TRACK. AND THAT SUMS UP, HOW LONG CAN DEMOCRATS RIDE THIS INCREDIBLE WAVE OF NEW ENERGY? WELL THIS EVENING I'M GLAD TO WELCOME SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE LIKELY NOMINEE VICE PRESIDENT Cory Booker HARRIS VERY, VERY WELL. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR COREY BOOKER OF THE GREATEST STATE IN THE NATION, NEW JERSEY. WE HAVE SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT BUT I WANT TO START WITH SOMETHING PRETTY SERIOUS. I WANT TO GET YOUR RESPONSE, YOUR REACTION TO WHAT FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAID ABOUT VICE PRESIDENT'S HARRIS' DATE TODAY AT THE NHVJ EVENT AND HOW HE'S RESPONDED SINCE THEN. >> LOOK, I THINK THIS IS A STANDARD PLAY BOOK FOR DONALD TRUMP TO TRY TO DEFLECT AND DIVIDE. HE BRINGS UP THINGS THAT HE KNOWS WILL BE CONSIDERED OUTRAGEOUS BY PEOPLE ON OUR SIDE OF THE AISLE AND ALL WE WANT TO DO IS TALK ABOUT THAT. THIS IS REALLY HIS ABILITY TO DEFLECT FROM WHAT THE REAL ISSUES OF THIS ELECTION ARE AND TRY TO DIVIDE OUR COUNTRY AGAINST ITSELF AND OPPORTUNISTICALLY CAPITALIZE ON THAT. THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A SECOND. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHETHER A BLACK WOMAN IS BLACK. AND ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE RUSHING TO SAY, OH SHE WAS AN AKA, AND SHE WENT TO A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE. ENOUGH OF THAT. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ECONOMY. LET'S TALK ABOUT HEALTH CARE. DONALD TRUMP DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT. HE DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIS RIPPING AWAY THE RIGHT OF WOMEN'S CONTROL OF HER BODY. HE DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT BLOWING THE ECONOMY WITH TAX CUTS. AND AS THEY WERE UNDER HARRIS AND BIDEN WITH THE CHILD TAX CREDIT. HE DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES SO WHAT DOES HE DO? TALK ABOUT BIRTHERISM SAYING THAT OBAMA WAS NOT AMERICAN. AND TALKING ABOUT THE FIVE AND GETTING HIS NAME INTO THE NEW YORK TIMES. THIS IS WHAT HE DOES. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BRING OUR COUNTRY TOGETHER FOR COMMON PURPOSE AND REALLY THE SENSE OF COMMON CAUSE. HE DIVIDES US AGAINST EACH Most important issues of the election OTHER USING RACIAL TROPES AS HIS TOOL. I HAVE SEEN THIS IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TOO MUCH. >> DO YOU THINK THIS ELECTION IS GOING TO BE, YOU SAID THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES OF THE ELECTION, YOU BROUGHT UP POLICY. AND THERE'S OFTEN QUESTIONS WHAT IS KAMALA HARRIS' POLICY GOING TO BE ON X AND Y. IS THIS ELECTION GOING TO BE ABOUT POLICY. DONALD TRUMP TO THE POINT YOU MADE, NEVER COVERS THAT. >> HE IS GOING TO BRING UP X, Y, Z. I WANT OUR PARTY AND I KNOW WHAT KAMALA HARRIS WANTS TO TALK ABOUT IS THE ECONOMY. WHICH ADMINISTRATION CREATED MORE JOBS. WHICH CREATED MORE MANUFACTURING JOBS. EVEN LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE THE STOCK MARKET AND HOW CORPORATIONS AND BUSINESSES DID. I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN MORE BLACK BUSINESS NEWS STARTS AND OVER ALL ENTREPRENEURS MORE THAN IN THE LAST 25 YEARS. THIS IS AN ADMINISTRATION UNDER BIDEN-HARRIS HAS A RECORD TO RUN ON. IN TERMS OF LOWERING THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. TRUMP TALKED ABOUT IT. BIDEN-HARRIS LOWERED THE COST OF INSULIN. INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK HERE IN Trumps record breaking fundraising JERSEY, THE BIGGEST INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT MADE. DONALD TRUMP HAD INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK BUT BIDEN-HARRIS ACTUALLY GOT SOMETHING DONE. >> I WANT TO CORRECT YOU, HE HAD EIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK. HOW DO YOU WONDER HOW IT'S HAPPENING. SOME ARE DOUBTING THIS ENTHUSIASM, THIS FUND RAISING. SOME DON'T EVEN BELIEVE IT'S REAL. WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THIS EXCITEMENT TO THEM. >> I WOULD SAY IN GOD WE TRUST BUT EVERYBODY ELSE BRING ME DATA. I LOOK AT THE DATA POINTS. I'M JUST COMING FROM DEBATING IN NEVADA WHERE THEY HAD A TIDAL WAVE OF PEOPLE SIGNING UP TO CAMPAIGN. THEY HAVE RECORD PEOPLE SIGNING UP TO MAKE PHONE CALLS, TO KNOCK ON DOOR, TO WRITE POSTCARDS. I HRAOPBLG LOOK AT THE MONEY COMING IN. THOSE ARE REAL DOLLARS AND CENTS. AND THEY HAVE BROKEN RECORDS. NOT JUST FOR DEMOCRATIC NOMINEES, OR REPUBLICAN NOMINEES, ALL NOMINEES IN ALL OF TIME THEY HAVE CREATED A RECORD NOW FOR A ONE WEEK HAUL. THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARILY EXCITING TIME AND THIS MOMENTUM IS GOING TO CONTINUE. AND DONALD TRUMP DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. SO HE FALLS BACK ON HIS OLD PLAY BOOK. WHEN HE STARTED HIS LAST CAMPAIGN, CASTING SPURGE EONS, TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE COMING ACROSS THE BORDER WERE RAPISTS AND MURDERERS. HE IS GOING TO SAY OUTRAGEOUS THINGS TO THE MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES WHICH SHOULD UNITE US. WHAT SHOULD WE BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY. THE FACT THAT THE UNITED AUTO WORKERS. MY GRANDFATHER GOT OUT OF POVERTY BECAUSE OF OF HIS UNITED AUTO WORKERS JOB. WE SHOULD CAMPAIGN IN MICHIGAN. DONALD TRUMP DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT. HE WANTS TO DIVIDE US ALONG RACIAL LINE, GENDER LINES, AS OPPOSED TO WHAT WE NEED TO DO Child tax credit IN THIS COUNTRY NOW IS FORGET THE TRIBALISM, FORGET THE DIVISIVENESS. >> PERHAPS THAT'S WHY HE'S CHOSEN JD VANCE WHICH SPREADS IDEAS AND DIVISIVENESS. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CHILD TAX CREDIT. BECAUSE SCHUMER IS PUTTING THE CHILD TAX CREDIT EXPANSION UP FOR A VOTE TOMORROW. THERE'S ACTUALLY SOME SENATE REPUBLICANS WHO WANT TO BLOCK THIS THING. I'M CONFUSED BY IT. YOU WORK IN THE SENATE SO I NEED AN EXPLANATION. J.D. VANCE MADE IT VERY CLEAR REPUBLICANS ARE THE PROFAMILY PARTY. RIGHT. HIS WHOLE BRAND IS FAMILY, FAMILY, FAMILY. BUT ON TOP OF THAT IT SEEMS LIKE HE MAY NOT EVEN CAST A VOTE BECAUSE HE'S GOING TO BE CAMPAIGNING. PROFAMILY AND EXPANDING CHILD TAX CREDIT SHOULD BE HAND IN HAND. >> UNDER BIDEN WE GOT IT FOR ONE YEAR. WE WERE ONE VOTE SHY. ONE REPUBLICAN COULD HAVE JOINED US TO EXPAND THE TAX CUT. OVER 80% GOT THIS CREDIT. IT CUT POVERTY IN HALF. AND BROUGHT CHILDREN BELOW THE POVERTY LINE ABOVE. AND IN TERMS OF LIFETIME EARNINGS. IF YOU WERE PROFAMILY YOU WOULD BE THERE TO VOTE FOR THIS BIPARTISAN BILL. I WILL TELL YOU MORE THAN THAT, DONALD TRUMP DID NOT HAVE THE KIND OF BIPARTISAN SUCCESSES THAT BIDEN AND HARRIS HAVE ON THE FIRST GUN LEGISLATION IN OVER 30 YEARS. INFRASTRUCTURE ACT. BIPARTISAN ACTS. THESE REPUBLICANS WON'T JOIN DEMOCRATS IN PUSHING FOR MATERNAL CARE. IN PUSHING THE KIND OF POLICIES THAT STRENGTHEN FAMILIES AT THE KITCHEN TABLE. STRENGTHEN FAMILIES WHO WANT TO RAISE CHILDREN. AND WE HAVE GOT TO START TALKING ABOUT THOSE THINGS AS PLAINLY AS WE HAVE. AND WHO IS FIGHTING FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES. WHO'S FIGHTING FOR SAFE CHILDBIRTH. WHO'S FIGHTING FOR THESE KIND OF BASIC FREEDOMS IN OUR COUNTRY. WHO'S MAKING IT MORE EXPENSIVE FOR FAMILIES. MORE DIFFICULT FOR FAMILIES.