Donald Trump speaks to a crowded auditorium at a town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire on Wednesday, August 19, 2015.

Mayor de Blasio Warns Against Blowing Off Trump

The Brian Lehrer Show | Aug 21, 2015

Earlier this week, Mayor de Blasio was on the show, and he warned against taking Trump lightly:

“But look at the juxtaposition with Trump, who is literally trying to undermine fundamental Constitutional rights on things like birth right citizenship, part of our Constitution that I think has been a matter of consensus for generations. So I don’t think anyone should take Donald Trump lightly. I think, and I say this as a progressive, when you take conservatives lightly, you end up getting burned a lot of the time. This guy is obviously raising some important points and people are listening. But at the same time, what he said about Mexican Americans, what he said about Senator McCain – the many inappropriate things he’s said about women – I am not going to say that the Trump phenomena is going to end anytime soon, but all of these outrageous and inappropriate statements, they will be noted by the American voters. And I don’t think Americans want someone who’s said these kinds of discriminatory things. I just don’t think in the end that flies for someone who could actually be president of the United States.”

So listeners: Should you take Trump lightly, or do you take him and his candidacy for president seriously? Plus: What would Trump's immigration policies mean for New Yorkers? Call in at 212-433-WNYC, that's 212-433-WNYC, or join the conversation on Twitter: @BrianLehrer.

@BrianLehrer Of course not! NYC would not exist if we took his policies seriously.
— Liza (@zealousidler) August 21, 2015

@BrianLehrer We should be wary of him because he reflects a greater racism problem. At the very least, we shouldn't ignore him.
— Alexis M. Nielson (@AlexisNielson) August 21, 2015

"The Republican Party has done a great job turning people of color into the boogeyman." -@WNYC @BrianLehrer listener
— Joe Harrell (@JoeHarrellNYC) August 21, 2015

Craig in Manhattan: If we deported all undocumented people, our economy would collapse. And as a businessman...Trump should know this!
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) August 21, 2015

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