Hillary Clinton Released a Trump KKK Video, and He Doesn’t Seem to Appreciate it

Earlier today on Twitter, the Clinton campaign dropped this bomb on the head of one Donald J. Trump:

There’s a reason the most hateful fringe of the right wing is supporting Donald Trump.https://t.co/AqB3DM2m0N

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 25, 2016

The video—which attempts (successfully) to tie Donald Trump in with the KKK, based on the fact that lots of white supremacists of all stripes believe that Trump is their spiritual ally, and also that his new campaign manager comes from friggin’ Breitbart—is a nasty and effective attack piece. There’s an actual quote from a KKK imperial wizard which serves as the thematic centerpiece: “the reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump is because a lot of what he believes, we believe in.” And it ends with this ominous possibility: “If Trump wins, they could be running the country.”

The Trump campaign’s response came from a black pastor named Mark Burns, who spoke at the RNC and will apparently trotted out every time Trump wants to show that he’s not racist. Here’s the statement:

Clinton and her campaign went to a disgusting new low today as they released a video tying the Trump Campaign with horrific racial images. This type of rhetoric and repulsive advertising is revolting and completely beyond the pale. I call on Hillary Clinton to disavow this video and her campaign for this sickening act that has no place in our world.

I’m sure Clinton will disavow at any minute…

The larger point here, beyond Trump’s racial bona fides, is that he finds himself in the kind of political fight for which he’s not prepared, and which goes beyond anything he faced in the GOP primary. Even while Clinton is trying to poach establishment Republicans, her campaign is making sure that Trump will make no inroads with the traditional Democratic base.