"The Daily Show" mocked Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) on Tuesday over backpedaling from her past views on immigration that match the "racist" ones today of President Donald Trump.
In a clip flagged by the Daily Beast, Host Trevor Noah did a segment on the apologies being levied by various potential and declared Democratic presidential candidates over past views, as they seek the 2020 nomination from voters who will put a premium on progressive purity.
Gillibrand has some of the most explaining to do, given she once represented an upstate, conservative New York district and opposed amnesty, supported the deportation of illegal immigrants, strongly supported tougher border security measures, and called for English to be the country's official language.
CNN host Jake Tapper asked her on Sunday if Trump's positions are "racist," as Gillibrand has said, were they racist when she held them? Her response: "They certainly weren’t empathetic, and they weren’t kind, and I did not think about suffering in other people’s lives."
"Damn, Jake Tapper got her on that one," Noah said. "It’s hard for her to say Trump’s policies are racist, but her identical policies were just unkind."
Noah also poked fun at her response that a trip to Brooklyn to meet with a Democratic congresswoman helped change her views on immigration. Gillibrand also said a trip to Brooklyn helped change her from having an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association to being a fervent supporter of gun control, a reversal critics have derided as part of a pattern of political opportunism.
"OK, what’s going on in Brooklyn?" Noah asked. "Every time Gillibrand goes to Brooklyn, she changes another position."
He then rapped a mock version of the popular Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song "Empire State of Mind," singing, "Now I’m out in Brooklyn / Changed my mind on gun rights / Used to hate illegals / Now I fight the good fight / In New York, turns out all my past views were racist, it’s something I’m changin’."