MS NOW Analyst Asks How Republican Steve Hilton Won in California If It’s So ‘Crooked’ Like Trump Argues

MS NOW political analyst Eugene Robinson asked how President Donald Trump can call California “evil” and “crooked” because Spencer Pratt (R) didn’t advance in the Los Angeles mayoral race, even though Republican Steve Hilton just won enough votes to move on in the gubernatorial race.

Robinson argued that Hilton’s finish in the top two in the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) wrecked Trump’s argument on Tuesday’s episode of Morning Joe.

Co-host Willie Geist said Republicans “cannot contradict President Trump’s conspiracy theories” on elections because it would be political suicide — and would require a “drop of courage.” Robinson agreed, saying to be a successful GOP politician, you have to “parrot every lie” from Trump.

He then argued that it included Trump’s complaints about California’s election process.

“The thing I wonder about in California is if Spencer Pratt is somehow being deprived of all these votes and it’s crooked and it’s evil, then how did Steve Hilton, the Republican, manage to make it into the runoff?” Robinson asked. “How did that happen? And obviously those two things can’t coexist.”

Robinson continued, saying, “This is all made up, this is all performative” from Trump. He then sounded a bit worried, saying the “big question” now is whether Trump is just “bloviating” or if he’s “setting up the country for the midterms?” In particular, Robinson wondered if Trump will try to “deny” Democrats control of the House or Senate.

His comments on the California elections comes a day after Trump fumed about Pratt falling behind Democratic socialist Nithya Raman in the LA mayoral race; Pratt had a cozy lead after Election Night, but Raman surged in the days after as mail-in ballots were counted.

Trump said it was “not possible” for Pratt to lose his 40,000-vote lead legitimately — and then warned Californians that the state will try to screw Hilton next. (He has not called the state “evil” like Robinson said, but he has said it is “crooked.”)

A bit later on Monday, Decision Desk HQ projected Hilton would secure the second spot in California’s primary and go against ex-HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) in the November election.

Watch above via MS NOW.

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