Democratic congressional candidate Paula Collins recently made controversial remarks about Trump-supporting Republicans, suggesting that those supporting the Make America Great Again agenda should undergo “re-education” after the 2024 election.
Collins is challenging Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in New York’s 21st congressional district. During a recent public Zoom call, Collins stated that even if there is a “resounding blue wave,” individuals associated with the MAGA movement should undergo “re-educating.” Seemingly aware of the potential negative connotation of her remarks, Collins clarified that her proposal for political reprogramming should not be labeled as a “re-education camp.”
“Even if we were to have a resounding blue wave come through, as many of us would like, putting it all back together again after we’ve gone through this MAGA nightmare and re-educating basically, which, that sounds like a rather, a re-education camp. I don’t think we really want to call it that,” she stated in the Zoom town hall, as reported by Fox News. “I’m sure we can find another way to phrase it.”
Collins reiterated her comments in an email to Fox News Digital, emphasizing the urgent need for widespread civics education. She suggested that both parties recognize the necessity of such an initiative.
“We currently have lawmakers, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, who misquote or misunderstand the law,” Collins said. “Even if MAGA were to be resoundingly defeated, we would need to engage in widespread civics education, which both red and blue voters acknowledge has been slipping in recent years.” The Democratic challenger added that “the goal would be such that regular citizens could understand the process by which the state courts process matters, compared to the federal court circuit, and so forth.”
Collins further ripped her Republican opponent, asserting that Stefanik — who has been mentioned frequently as a Trump VP candidate — has insufficient knowledge of New York’s “court structure.” She said, “Rep. Elise Stefanik does not show a good understanding of the court structure in her home state of New York.” She continued, “Similarly, many voters have misunderstandings and lack of regard for basic judicial systems that underscore the need for civics education.”
Alex DeGrasse, a senior advisor to Elise Stefanik, strongly criticized comments suggesting the re-education of Trump supporters. He emphasized that Stefanik would defeat her Democratic opponent by a “historic margin.”
“This radical New York City Democrat Socialist who literally is renting a bed and breakfast room in NY-21 was caught on tape saying she wants to force Trump voters through ‘re-education camps,’” he stated. “Everyone knows she will be defeated by Elise Stefanik by a historic margin.” The advisor further stated that “this is yet another reason why President Trump, Elise Stefanik, and voters in Upstate and across America will clean the Democrats’ clocks at the ballot box this November.”
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Stefanik ripped Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over Trump’s civil fraud trial earlier this year, for blatant bias in the case. Also, she lodged an ethics complaint with the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility against special counsel Jack Smith in April. She accused him of attempting to “unlawfully interfere with the 2024 presidential election” by hastening the trial proceedings against former President Donald Trump in relation to the events of January 6, 2021, at the Capitol, Newsmax reported at the time.
“It’s obvious to any reasonable observer that Jack Smith is trying to interfere with the 2024 election and stop the American people from electing Donald Trump,” the New York Republican said in a statement announcing the complaint. “At every turn, he has sought to accelerate his illegal prosecution of President Trump for the clear (if unstated) purpose of trying him before the November election.”
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