Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid told reporters Wednesday that out of all the Republican presidential hopefuls, he’s “kind of pulling” for billionaire Donald Trump.
“Look, we’ve gotten along fine,” the Nevada Democrat said of his relationship with the New York businessman. He jokingly added, “With that bunch of people, I’m kind of pulling for him.”
Reid, who has previously condemned Trump’s rhetoric on immigration and his proposal to bar non-American Muslims from entering the U.S., later added that he was “trying to be funny” and that he’s watched “with pleasure” at the GOP candidates “fumbling around.”
“Obviously it wasn’t very funny. [New York Sen. Chuck] Schumer, kicked me in the back of the leg,” he said.
“There are some things I shouldn’t joke about,” Reid said on the Senate floor, an hour after he made the joke.
He went on to to say Trump is a “hateful demagogue” who poses a significant “danger” to the nation. The Republican Party will “never recover from the damage” if he is elected, Reid added.
Reid’s comments come just 24 hours after Trump touted his relationship with Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during an appearance on MSNBC.
“I always had a great relationship with Harry Reid, and frankly, if I weren’t running for office, I’d be able to deal with [Pelosi], I’d be able to deal with Reid, I’d be able to deal with anybody,” he said.
Trump’s opponents were quick to criticize him for the comments, claiming he’d be too eager to cut deals with the Democrats as president.
? John Siciliano contributed to this report.
