President Trump compliments Rep. Keith Ellison because he didn't downplay him

President Trump compliments Rep. Keith Ellison because he didn't downplay him

February 22, 2017 at 3:44PM
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., shown in a file photo, says, "Trump must be stopped, and people power is what we have at our disposal to make him stop."
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., shown in a file photo, says, "Trump must be stopped, and people power is what we have at our disposal to make him stop." (Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump and Rep. Keith Ellison exchanged some tweets this morning.

Trump tweeted in the 7 a.m. hour: "Rep. Keith Ellison, in his fight to lead the DNC, is that he was the one who predicted early that I would win!"

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Trump may have been referring to very early interviews Ellison gave in 2015, where he said "stranger things have happened" than someone like Trump winning the White House. He compared him to Minnesota's former renegade Gov. Jesse Ventura.

In an ABC News interview in June 2015, Ellison said to George Stephanopoulos: "All I want to say is that anybody -- well, from the Democratic side of the fence, who thinks, who is terrified of the possibility of a President Trump better vote, better get active, better get involved because this man has some momentum and we better be ready for the fact he might be leading the Republican ticket."

Stephanopoulos responded: "I know you don't believe that. But I want to go on."

Ellison said, "We had Jesse Ventura in Minnesota win the governorship. Nobody thought he was going to win. I'm telling you, stranger things have happened."

This morning, in response to Trump's tweet, Ellison responded on the same medium: "My latest call? America is coming together like never before; we'll stop your drive to divide us."

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The DNC elections for chair is this coming weekend in Atlanta.

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