Raimondo criticized for saying voters should ‘extinguish’ Trump

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo drew backlash from the right on Wednesday for remarking that voters should “extinguish” former President Trump, though she later clarified when asked if she meant the former president should be voted down in November. 

“I don’t know how we have gotten here, but we sure as hell have to get out of here and get Kamala in the White House,” Raimondo said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” which noted the secretary was appearing in her personal capacity as she touted Vice President Harris’s campaign. 

“How did we get here? Let’s extinguish him for good. We have an answer. We have a remarkably talented candidate who is sincere, who’s pragmatic, who’s open. Let’s just get it done,” Raimondo added.

“And ‘extinguish,’ you mean vote him out?” host Mika Brzezinski clarified. 

“Yes, absolutely. Vote him out. Banish him from American politics, yes. Just vote him out so he goes away, … Let’s turn the page on his chaos and craziness, vindictiveness, wrong-headed economic strategy, hatred toward women and move forward,” Raimondo said. 

The Trump campaign called out the comments in an email blast against “dangerous rhetoric” from “Democrat lunatics.” Other conservative voices on X weighed in with criticism. 

“Democrats keep using disgusting and dangerous language like this even after TWO assassination attempts on Donald Trump,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Wednesday, sharing a clip of Raimondo’s interview.

Republicans have been slamming Democrats’ rhetoric in the wake of two assassination attempts against Trump this year. After a suspect was charged with gun crimes in an incident at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla.,as well as attempted assassination, Trump pointed fingers at President Biden and Vice President Harris. 

“Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out,” Trump told Fox News Digital earlier this month.

Notably, the FBI said in late August that it wasn’t ready to draw conclusions about a motive in the Pennsylvania shooting, and a motive in the Florida incident also remains unclear. Experts have also cautioned against drawing a direct link between the rhetoric and any violence.

The Hill has reached out to Raimondo’s office and the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment.