- The opposition is increasing, even from the former president’s longtime pals who have decided to support him in his comeback attempt for the White House in 2024.
- Trump just declared his intention to run for president once more in 2024, and it’s uncertain whether the GOP senators’ criticism will last, much less cause him to break his tight grasp on the party’s base. Sen.
- Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, claimed to have taken Trump at his word and accused his staff of failing to thoroughly investigate Fuentes.
In Washington Another controversy has engulfed Donald Trump, and some Republicans on Capitol Hill are less eager to stand up for him this time.
After eating meals with infamous white nationalist Nick Fuentes and the controversial rapper Ye, who has been criticised for antisemitic remarks, Trump is receiving increasing criticism from Republican senators, including some who are ostensibly his allies but infrequently, if ever, criticise him or his actions.
The emotions of Senate Republicans were discussed in interviews when the Senate reconvened after the Thanksgiving holiday on Monday. They varied from shocked surprise to calls to reshuffle Trump’s circle of advisors to a sense of vindication among his most ardent detractors within the party. As most GOP lawmakers generally do when Trump stirs up controversy, there was no willingness to ignore or brush aside the episode, and there was little sign that any of them intended to defend a former member of their party as president.
“Ridiculous. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, remarked, “That’s all I have to say about that. “I don’t know what’s happening. But once more, it is absolutely absurd that he would act in that way.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, looked for the proper phrase to describe the dinner meeting. She chose the same word as Ernst: “ridiculous.”
“I find it, um — I want to make sure I use the correct word, and I believe he should definitely know who he’s dining with. Capito told reporters, “I completely think it’s ludicrous to be having a conversation with someone who holds such views.
We’re all accountable for our own acts, Capito retorted when asked if she blamed Trump or his team.
Trump asserted on Friday that he “knew nothing about” Fuentes, a well-known person in far-right circles, and claimed that the musician Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, came up “unexpectedly” for the meal.
When asked about the meal on Monday, Sen. Deb Fisher, R-Neb., who is typically reserved and conservative, made a rare break with Trump. She said of Fuentes: “I believe it’s always wrong to elevate the vocabulary that gentleman — or that individual — adopts.”
Trump just declared his intention to run for president once more in 2024, and it’s uncertain whether the GOP senators’ criticism will last, much less cause him to break his tight grasp on the party’s base.
The Republican Party’s 2012 presidential nominee, Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, slammed Trump and his decision to have dinner with Fuentes and Ye, calling it “a character issue.”
The extent to which he is willing to humiliate himself and the nation as a whole has no upper limit. Romney said that he “voted to remove [Trump] from office twice” and declared that “anybody else” would make a better party leader. “Having dinner with those individuals was awful,” Romney remarked.
He shouldn’t be the president of the United States, in my opinion. He shouldn’t be our party’s nominee in 2024, in my opinion, he remarked. And I most definitely do not want him to watch over our gathering like a gargoyle.
I reject white supremacy and antisemitism, said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who voted to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment hearing. The president shouldn’t have ever eaten with Nick Fuentes or even just met with him.
On their first day back from their Thanksgiving break, GOP senators didn’t want to be giving answers to such queries in the Capitol. However, other politicians understood that “no comment,” Trump’s go-to reaction whenever he gets into difficulty, wouldn’t cut it given the gravity of the situation.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump golfing buddy, thought it was a mistake for Trump to eat with Fuentes and Ye, but he didn’t think it would hurt Trump’s chances of winning the Republican nomination.
“No, the conference was awful. Graham stated, “He shouldn’t have done it. But once more, you know, there are two standards for this sort of things. And while I don’t think it will have an impact on his political destiny, I do think we need to be careful about who we meet with. We shouldn’t encourage individuals who think in this manner.
“Graham seemed unclear of how to pronounce the rapper’s name and added, “And here’s another thought: If a guy’s name is Yeh, or Ye, you probably shouldn’t be with them.
Others condemned antisemitism in general statements without identifying Trump or Fuentes.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., the incoming leader of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, stated that antisemitism is something that must be tolerated.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., the outgoing NRSC head, declared that white nationalist antisemitism is wrong because it has no place in the Republican Party.
Antisemitism and white supremacy are both immoral, according to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and that is all there is to it. That is what I think.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a top aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, the minority leader in the Senate, said he couldn’t be bothered to answer inquiries about Trump and Fuentes.
“I have no idea who that is. Furthermore, I don’t see any justification for commenting on what private individuals do or don’t do for themselves, Cornyn added. “I have more essential things to do,” you say.
In a statement, McConnell said he would discuss the matter at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who is leaning right to attempt to earn votes to become speaker next year, hasn’t reacted in the House, which is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday.
Ye has been accused by Trump of inviting Fuentes to the dinner. Trump referred to Ye as a “very troubled man” in an article on Truth Social and claimed to not know who Fuentes was.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, claimed to have taken Trump at his word and accused his staff of failing to thoroughly investigate Fuentes.
Whoever permitted him entry into the room need to be sacked, according to Tillis, if the reports are accurate and the president was unaware of who he was.
Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, and other prospective 2024 opponents criticised him for meeting with Fuentes, claiming that he “demonstrated extremely poor judgement.”
“President Trump made a mistake by inviting a Holocaust denier, a white nationalist, and an antisemite to the table. In a Monday appearance on NewsNation, Pence said, “And I think he should apologise for it and he should reject those people and their vile rhetoric without qualifier.”
Donald Trump is not an antisemite, in my opinion. He isn’t a bigot or a racist, in my opinion. If he was, I wouldn’t have been his vice president, Pence continued. “People frequently overlook the fact that the president’s granddaughter is Jewish, his son-in-law is a fervent Jew, and his daughter converted to Judaism.”
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