Republicans divided on support for Trump’s candidacy

Republicans stepped up their public criticism of former President Donald Trump on Thursday, with some saying it was time for the party to turn the page after disappointing results in the midterms, even as Trump prepares to announce a third presidential run. the US presidency next week.

Virginia Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, once an outspoken Trump supporter, said voters had sent “a very clear message” Tuesday that “enough is enough.”

“The voters have spoken and have said they want a different leader. And a true leader understands when he has become a burden ”, commented the Fox Business channel. “A true leader understands that it is time to get off the stage. It’s time to turn the page.”

Earle-Sears, who served as vice chair of a group called Black Americans to Re-elect President Trump in 2020, also said she could not endorse another Trump campaign.

Some aides had asked Trump to hold off announcing his candidacy until after the Dec. 6 runoff election for the Georgia Senate seat — which could determine which party controls the chamber. the country’s highest — to avoid turning the race into a referendum on him and inadvertently helping the Democrats. But the former president has rejected the recommendation and invited reporters to a “special announcement” on November 15 at 9 p.m. at his Mar-a-Lago club.

That leaves Trump trying to launch a candidacy at a time when he finds himself in a very vulnerable position after having dominated the party largely unopposed since winning the nomination in 2016. Still, Trump has shown a remarkable resistance, retaining the support of his base, even during the “Access Hollywood” scandal, which almost sank his first campaign, and after the deadly assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

At the same time, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who easily won his re-election Tuesday, is garnering new attention as Republicans publicly weigh leaving Trump behind.

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, pointed to Trump’s role in elevating some inexperienced and controversial candidates during this year’s primaries, who then lost in this week’s general election.

During an interview, Thune said that “there is no substitute for good quality candidates.”

“We had some very close and competitive primaries this year,” said Thune, who won his reelection handily. “And in some cases, you know, there were a lot of factors at play, including outsiders who expressed their support in some of those races,” he added.

Thune said he hoped the party would start to notice the emergence of younger leaders.

“You can’t have a party that is built around a person’s personality,” he said.

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who clashed with Trump during his first two years in office, called Trump “a liability” that would hurt the party’s chances in 2024.

“We want to win the White House and we know that with Trump we are more likely to lose,” he said during an interview with WISN 12 News. “If we have a candidate not named Trump, we have a much better chance of winning the White House than if our candidate is Trump.”

Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, soon to retire, also said Trump’s intervention was to blame for the losses suffered by the Republican Party in his state, noting that Trump-backed candidates fared far worse than others. Republicans on the ballot.

“I think my party has to face the fact that if loyalty to Donald Trump is the main criteria for selecting candidates, we probably won’t do very well,” he told the network. . “Across the country there is a very high correlation between MAGA candidates and big losses or, at the very least, spectacularly poor performance.”

Trump has disputed that he had a bad night.

“For those many people who are being fed the false narrative of the corrupt media that I am upset about the midterm elections, do not believe them,” he said on his social network. “I’m not upset at all, I did a great job (I wasn’t a candidate!), and I’m very busy looking to the future. Remember, I’m a ‘stable genius’.”

There is still a chance that other Trump-backed candidates will win their races. Although the predicted landslide Republican victory did not materialize, the party remains well positioned to take control of the House of Representatives, and could take control of the Senate as well. In many contests it is too early to declare a winner.

“There is no such thing as an ugly win or a nice loss,” said Jason Miller, a former Trump campaign official who was among those who advised him to hold off on his announcement until after the Georgia runoff.

“Nancy Pelosi’s political career is over,” he predicted. “Biden’s agenda is dead.”

Allies support Trump

Other Trump allies offered statements to the media on behalf of the former president, giving him their support ahead of any announcement.

“I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for president in 2024. I fully support him running again,” Elise Stefanik, House Republican Party Chair, said in a statement. “It is time for Republicans to shut down ranks with America’s most popular Republican, who has a proven record of conservative government.”

“If he runs in 2024, not only will he have my support, but he will have the support of millions of Americans across the country,” said Rep. Jim Banks, a top ally in Congress.

Ohio Senate candidate JD Vance, who has proven to be the most successful of Trump’s endorsed candidates, said if the former president decides to run again, he is confident he will be the party’s nominee.

“Every year, the media writes the political obituary of Donald Trump. And every year we are reminded that Trump remains the most popular figure in the Republican Party,” Vance said in a statement issued after contacting Trump’s spokesman.

Rivalry with DeSantis

Trump’s decision to press ahead with his campaign is driven, in part, by his desire to try to freeze the field of candidates and stop the rise of DeSantis, whom he has long considered his main rival.

In a sign of frustration, Trump issued a lengthy statement Thursday night lashing out at Fox News and other outlets in Rupert Murdoch’s empire for “going all-in on Governor Ron DeSanctimonious (Ron DeSanturrón) DeSantis,” whom he described as your “average Republican governor with great PR,” while again taking credit for DeSantis’ 2018 victory.

Although Trump allies had insisted that reports of tensions between the men were exaggerated, Trump, who has privately criticized DeSantis for not ruling out a candidate against him, has now done so publicly.

“Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that’s not really the right answer,” he wrote, comparing the race to his winning 2016 campaign. “We’re in exactly the same position now. They will keep coming after us, MAGA, but in the end, we will win. Put America first, let’s make America great again.”

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