“No way”
US Senator does not want to stand behind Trump
March 25, 2024, 2:07 a.m
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Donald Trump rigorously punishes critics within his own party. All the more remarkable are two leading Republicans who refuse to support the ex-president. Neither of them forgive him for storming the Capitol.
A prominent critic of former President Donald Trump is not ruling out leaving the Republican Party. “I’m navigating some very interesting political times. Let’s just leave it at that,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski when asked by a CNN journalist whether she could imagine becoming a non-partisan politician. “I regret that our party appears to be becoming a party of Donald Trump,” said the 66-year-old senator from the US state of Alaska. There is no way she can support Trump.
Trump wants to run for the Republicans in the presidential election in November. He certainly has the candidacy, but the presidential candidate will not be officially chosen until the summer. Murkowski is considered to be rather moderate. She was one of seven Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in the Senate after the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Murkowski emphasized again that what happened back then cannot be defended.
The former chairwoman of the Republican Party (RNC), Ronna McDaniel, also found surprisingly critical words in a TV interview at the weekend. The storming of the Capitol was “unacceptable.” He does not represent your party or the USA. When asked why she didn’t find such critical words as party chair, McDaniel replied: “As RNC chair, you have to stand up for the whole team. Now I can be a little more myself.”
Trump’s daughter-in-law takes over
At the end of February, McDaniel and her co-chair resigned. Trump had previously recommended his daughter-in-law Lara Trump for the post and criticized McDaniel’s work. Lara Trump has now taken over as co-chair. Among other things, the RNC organizes the nomination party conference, at which the delegates formally elect the Republican presidential candidate after the primary elections.
The open, critical words of Murkowski and McDaniel are noteworthy. But they don’t change the fact that a majority of Republicans are firmly behind Trump. Critics of the 77-year-old were kicked out by the party. Liz Cheney, for example, lost her leadership role within the party and ultimately her seat in the House of Representatives.