Trump applauds Kamala Harris’ 2020 campaign launch, calls it the ‘best opening so far’ – Business Insider

President Donald Trump applauded Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris‘ presidential campaign launch, describing it as “the best opening so far” in the 2020 primary race.

Trump made the remarks during an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday night, saying Harris has “a better crowd, better enthusiasm.”

The president, who spent the latter part of his career in show businesses before landing at the White House, homed in particularly on Harris’ ability to draw a crowd, The Times indicated.

The president has frequently pointed to the size of his own campaign rallies as a measure of his likability and success.

Trump claimed that some Democratic candidates had “really drifted far left,” and took another jab at Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who launched an exploratory committee in late December.

“I do think Elizabeth Warren’s been hurt very badly with the Pocahontas trap,” Trump reportedly said, referring to a racist slur he frequently uses to insult her claim of having Native American heritage. “I think she’s been hurt badly. I may be wrong, but I think that was a big part of her credibility and now all of a sudden it’s gone.”

Harris declared her candidacy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 21, and followed it with a campaign rally in her hometown of Oakland, California, where roughly 20,000 people attended.

Harris also appeared at a CNN town hall event this week, where she became “the most-watched cable news single-candidate election town hall” among the age 25-to-54 news demographic, according to CNN’s internal metrics.

Despite an otherwise energetic launch, Harris’ campaign encountered some headwinds over her record as a California prosecutor. She previously served as San Francisco’s district attorney and has faced criticism over her tough stance on crime, including defending the death penalty in California.

Neither White House officials nor Harris’ campaign immediately responded to INSIDER’s request for comment on Thursday night.