EP35: At a Trump get-out-the-vote rally in Chesapeake, Virginia on June 28, 2024, the Commonwealth’s 74th Governor, Glenn Youngkin, did what he avoided doing all 2021 long: He embraced Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.

Youngkin also embraced Trump’s dangerous rhetoric on a topic he rarely mentioned during his successful 2021 campaign as he defeated Terry McAuliffe: Immigration.

But in Chesapeake on June 28, Youngkin linked “illegal immigrants” to violent crimes — specifically murder and sexual violence. That specific language is a cornerstone of Trump’s racist play to incentivize white suburban voters.

The use of anecdotes to vilify million of people in an ethnic or racial group is not new. In the Republican Party in part built by Roger Ailes, who was an advisor to President Richard Nixon who would later create Fox News, the use of the southern strategy has become standard practice. Until June 28, 2024, Youngkin had avoided it. Now he has fully endorsed it. Will Youngkin say anything to become Trump’s Vice Presidential running mate?

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