“Trump before Trump” is how the head of Big Dog Strategies, Chris Grant, describes New York Rep. Claudia Tenney (R).
Claudia Tenney’s aggressive and confrontational style echoes that of President Trump. And as she fights for her political life in a highly contested swing district, she has chosen to unapologetically double down.
Tenney slams and bashes the media for twisting and smearing the facts and showing misleading stories. She blamed the media for not covering any story regarding many Democrats being mass murderers.
“Many of these people that commit the mass murders end up being Democrats, but the media doesn’t talk about that either,” Tenney told a radio host. “I call it twist and smear — that’s what the media tends to do,” she explained.
She also pointed out to the radio host, “the single biggest destructive force in our country is the media. We’ve lost our way.” Tenney’s embrace of Donald Trump’s style is evident in the way she talks about immigration and jobs.
In a CNN interview last month, Tenney shared her views about the president’s State of the Union address, “They don’t love our country. I thought it was terrible that they didn’t clap for very American ideas, and why? Why not? They’re just about ‘resist,’ and what does ‘resist’ mean? Obstruct.”
Tenney has consistently taken all media opportunities to identify with Trump. When asked about why she was so beholden to the Trump Agenda, she answered, “many of the things that Trump stands for are issues that are consistent with why he won by such a large margin in our district.”
Unlike Trump, However, Tenney is aggressively opposing the ban on an assault weapon. “Remington Arms was founded in my district. We have a strong tradition of people who use firearms,” she said. “Have you used an AR-15? It’s the most commonly used rifle. I don’t consider that to be an assault rifle.”
