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Michael Avenatti, a lawyer and possible presidential candidate, caused a sensation by saying that there was only one type of candidate able to beat President Trump. In an interview with TIME released Thursday, Avenatti said the Democrats' candidate for 2020 "should be a white man," as the company gives more credence to white men than to others.
Although the statement struck a lot of inflammatory, it represents a real debate, even if it is usually private, within the Democratic Party – a debate that is likely to recur in the approach of the next presidential election. Avenatti, who has already worked as a researcher on political campaigns, clarified his position on Thursday:
Read more: Michael Avenatti's past will not stop him from running in 2020
This is what Atatatti told TIME in an interview in New York on June 25, before he began to publicly contemplate a presidential race:
Is there anyone you like in the Democratic political class? Or do you think [the 2020 nominee] should be someone from the outside of politics?
I think it's better to be a white man.
Really?
100% And I do not say that because I want it to be a white man. I say that only because of the realities of the situation. I think if the Democrats appoint someone other than a white man to the top of the list, they will lose the election. I would bet anything. I am very confident in this. And it should not be that way for this election –
But just because the electorate is too racist and sexist?
Because of the alignment of voters and the strength of Trump. And I think if you name …
So, Obama won only for whom he was running? But a Trump that activates racism and sexism of people –
No, I think Obama could have won against a lot of people. But I think it's a very unique situation. I think Donald Trump is a very unique candidate. And I think if you face a white man against him in 2020 – and I think a lot of party members are in agreement with me on this and that a lot of people do not agree with me – I think you're praying for a repeat of 2016. That's what I believe. Firmly. I firmly believe it. Look. If Joe Biden showed up in 2016, if his son Beau had not died tragically, we would not be sitting here yet. We would not be sitting here because I would have no case against Donald Trump.
Do not you think he could have demonized Biden like he did Hillary?
No. And look, here is what is unfortunate. It's very difficult for a woman to run against Donald Trump. Women unfortunately go through a very difficult period when they run for higher elected positions, especially against a guy like Donald Trump. D & # 39; right? If they do not hit hard enough, they are soft, right? And if they fight back with the same force as a man, they are considered a bitch, are not they? Which is totally unfair to women. And it's a very fine line for a woman. And it's a line that a man does not have to walk. And again, it's not correct. It should not be like that. But it's a very difficult walk.
So I think it's a critical mistake for anyone other than white men to take the lead in 2020. And I would not want to have to say that. I would like it to be different. But that's not, in my opinion. That's just my opinion. I can be wrong about this.
In another interview, the same day, Avenatti said that the disproportionate power that society accords to white men is also part of its success as a lawyer:
One of the reasons I've been effective with women – and others, but especially women – is because I think it's different when you have a white man who argues arguments. I think that they have more weight. Should they have more weight? Absolutely not. But do they do it? Yes. This is no different from what I did on behalf of Hispanic families on the border. Because I am a white man, I think that they have more weight. I think a segment of our population is looking at this issue and not immediately ignoring what I'm saying because I'm part of it. What is outrageous is that people see things this way. This is not fair. This is not fair. But the reality of the situation is that it is important that we have white men who defend women and minorities.
Avenatti plans to run against Trump in 2020
Philip Montgomery for TIME
In a later interview, Avenatti made the same remark in response to a question of whether he could introduce himself to the judiciary:
I am not preparing a race for the presidency, but regardless of the nominees of the Democrats nominated in 2020, it is better to be a street fighter than it is better to be ready to face Mr. Trump. If you want to know what it looks like, go ask Michael Dukakis about 1988. I think it's unfortunate – do it right, I strongly believe, and I would like it not to be true, neither a woman nor a minority can successfully carry the ticket for Democrats in 2020. There is no doubt in my mind that it is true. Do I think that's true? Absolutely not. Do I think it's 100% correct? Yes.
Democrats have reacted to the Trump presidency by proposing a record number of women and minority candidates for the next elections. Many of the party's 2020 potential candidates are also women or people of color, and black women in particular are the party's most trusted voters. But even if they do not say it clearly, many supporters of the party say that the path to victory is not to reliably galvanize democratic demography, but to find ways to appeal to whites for alternative voting. . It was these voters – out-of-school whites in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – who switched to Trump and placed him above the top in 2016.
Whether openly or in code, the Democrats of 2020 will have to respond to a version of the feeling of Avenatti, which also preoccupies the ranks of the party. Indeed, in the interviews with a dozen participants in the New Hampshire Democratic Picnic where Avenatti spoke, the problem was mentioned several times. "I do not think we should try to elect a woman, a black, or a Hispanic," said Nancy Walton-Hamm, a 68-year-old retired white computer programmer. "Too many old whites are not going to support that. I would be ready to wait for another generation "for a woman president.
As a potential candidate, Avenatti seeks to create an image as a product of the American heart. "That's why I'm very dangerous for this president, that's exactly why the last thing in the world this guy wants is to get into someone like me," he said. he told TIME. "Because I can talk to these people, and whoever is better placed than the Democratic candidate is able to talk to these people."
Whether or not on the Avenatti stage, the contenders of 2020 will debate this point.
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