Were not, as in past tense exclusively? How about his comments not only reflect the present but future comments as well?
"I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters," - Donald Trump
My opinion that his future controversial actions will not cause any of his supporters to defect is evident by looking at the sentence structure of his quote. "I could ... shoot... and I wouldn't lose voters". Though, I'm sure he also meant present time as well as whatever he does in the future. Nevertheless, do agree his quote is true for the majority of his supporters?