Republicans not pleased with Trump's fiery Mar-a-Lago speech
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Several Republican leaders on Sunday expressed concern at incendiary comments made by former President Donald Trump during a speech Saturday night at a Republican National Committee donor retreat.
© Evan Vucci, File/AP Photo Trump's verbal attacks come as the former president has reemerged into the world of GOP politics in recent days.
"Anything that's divisive is a concern and is not helpful for us fighting the battles in Washington and at the state level," Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on CNN's "State of the Union." "In some ways, it's not a big deal, what he said, but, at the same time, whenever it draws attention, we don't need that. We need unity."
The former president went off-script in a roughly 50-minute keynote speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida, ripping into Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, even calling him a "dumb son of a b***h." Trump also took aim at former Vice President Mike Pence — saying he was "disappointed" in him for not fighting the certification of the election results in January — as well as Anthony Fauci, who Trump said was "full of c**p."
Trump's verbal attacks come as the former president has reemerged into the world of GOP politics in recent days — ramping up fundraising efforts and shelling out endorsements for the 2022 midterm elections.
Several GOP leaders pushed back on Trump's fiery rhetoric, deeming it "not helpful" in uniting the Republican Party before the 2022 elections.
When asked by NBC's Chuck Todd whether Trump's voice is "helpful" to the Republican Party, Hutchinson, the Arkansas governor, responded: "Well, I don't think his most recent comments about Sen. McConnell were helpful if they were reported accurately."
"So to me, you've got to engage in the fight that we have in 2022," Hutchinson continued. "Right now, we've got some important fights in Washington about a big government solution to every problem that we have. And the Republican voice is important."
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), an outspoken critic of the former president, told "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan on CBS that Trump in his Mar-a-Lago speech used "the same language that he knows provoked violence on Jan. 6."
"As a party, we need to be focused on the future. We need to be focused on embracing the Constitution, not embracing insurrection. I think it's very important for people to realize that a fundamental part of the Constitution, and of who we are as Americans, is the rule of law, it's the judicial process," Cheney said.
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said on "Fox News Sunday" that amid Trump's rhetoric and "some of the things flying back and forth," Republicans — including Trump and McConnell — should be united in "working to defeat Democrats."
Thune, like McConnell, has been the target of Trump's ire in recent months for refusing to support Trump's challenge to the 2020 presidential election results.
"Well, look, it's just — like I said, I think a lot of that rhetoric is — you know, it's part of the style and tone that comes with the former president, but I think he and Mitch McConnell have a common goal, and that is getting the majority back in 2022, and in the end hopefully that will be the thing that unites us," Thune said.
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Looks like the GOP is finding the truth in the fable of the scorpion and the frog.
Republicans have been making excuses for Trump's bombastic nonsense for five years now. They will again and again until he dies or they die. Why? Because they believe there are votes in it.
It is OBVIOUS that Trump is a malevolent force in American politics, and it has been obvious for a long time. Still he drew a crowd of GOP big wigs to his palace to listen to him act like a crazy man. They are lathered in shame.
Bunch of Dik heads for not calling his embarrassing fckn ass out on day ONE, and telkling him to hit the damn HWGH. He, and all his shame, are what the GOP OWN, and we will NEVER FORGET how they enabled him to trash America and what it stands for. Fck Trump and the entire GOP ( Grabbed OLD PUSSIES) !
The problem with the GOP is that THEY made Trump everyone's problem......
Wasn't everyone warned as a child about playing with matches?
There is NOT one for that scumbag. Disgusted !
Lip service from some of the republicans. They will be kissing his ass tomorrow.
'Special lip service' from some of the republicans !
They will be kissing his ass tomorrow.
Don't count on it. More and more Republicans realize he cannot win another national election
That may be but they have had chances to rid themselves of Trump but folded. They want his radical base votes.
Most Republicans want to beat the Democrats, and will contiue to distance themselves from Trump
that would be good thinking. Too little too late, but whatever.
Trump had made incendiary comments for over four years and now they are offended? Boo hoo hoo little snowflakes. Go shed your crocodile tears elsewhere.
Now, it's about them.
But I doubt most will stand up to him. Look what it got Liz Cheney.