Axelrod calls Clinton’s speech attacking Trump a ‘shot of adrenaline’

by Rebecca Savransky - 06/05/16 11:37 AM ET

Democratic strategist David Axelrod said on Sunday that Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton’s recent speech attacking presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump was “probably her best day in the whole campaign.”

“This speech was a shot of adrenaline for her,” Axelrod, a former aide to President Obama, said on CBS’s “Face The Nation.”

{mosads}”My guess is it may help her Tuesday in the California primary. This is what a lot of Democrats were hoping to see.”

Axelrod commended Clinton for making the speech, in which she characterized Trump as “temperamentally unfit” for the White House. In the speech, Clinton warned that Trump is unsuited to serve as the country’s commander in chief, calling his ideas “dangerously incoherent.”

Axelrod said it is important that Clinton shows a “stark contrast” to the presumptive GOP nominee.

“It was a very lacerating speech, and it provoked the kind of response that almost reinforced the point she was trying to make, which was temperamentally, Donald Trump isn’t suited for the presidency,” Axelrod said.

“And for Trump, the challenge is can he change in any way and demonstrate to people that he has that element of discipline that’s necessary.”

Trump’s primary rivals made a mistake by not taking the candidate on “vigorously” from the start, Axelrod said. He said Clinton can’t make that mistake.

“You can’t deal with Donald Trump by ignoring him,” he said.

“He insists that you not ignore him.”

Tags Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Sunday shows