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WASHINGTON ― Republicans settled into a well-recognized groove on Tuesday after a very grim stream of feedback by Donald Trump over the weekend, making excuses, ducking questions, and a few barely managing to precise well mannered disagreement with their presumptive 2024 presidential nominee.
At a rally in Ohio on Saturday, Trump saluted as a recording of a refrain of prisoners in jail for his or her roles within the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol sang the nationwide anthem. A lot of “unbelievable patriots,” as Trump known as them, have been accused of assaulting cops as they sought to forestall Congress from certifying Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden within the 2020 presidential election.
Trump begins most of his marketing campaign rallies by enjoying the music as his supporters pay tribute, taking off their hats and placing their fingers over their hearts. It’s solely the most recent instance of how Trump and the GOP are glorifying the Jan. 6 revolt and trying to rewrite historical past on one of many darkest days in American democracy.
In the identical speech, which he delivered in Dayton, Trump warned of a “bloodbath” to the financial system if he isn’t elected and likewise demonized undocumented immigrants, telling supporters he thinks of some crossing the border as “animals” or not even “people.”
Then, on the next day, Trump taped an interview with conservative radio host Sebastian Gorka during which he stated that any Jewish People who vote for Democrats “hate Israel” and hate “their religion.” He added of the Democrats: “They hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.”
His feedback drew sharp rebukes from Democratic leaders, together with Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish official in U.S. historical past, who had excoriated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his army marketing campaign in Gaza final week.
However when requested by reporters about Trump’s grim rhetoric on Tuesday, Republican senators shrugged and tried to border them in a better-sounding mild.
“I have a different point of view on that,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) stated of Trump’s reward for Jan. 6 convicts. When requested about Trump’s feedback about Jewish folks, he solely stated, “It’s not what I would say.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a Trump-friendly candidate within the race to interchange Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as GOP Senate chief later this 12 months, merely stated he wouldn’t offer “running commentary on the presidential race” when requested about Trump’s stance on Jan. 6 and whether or not it might assist Republicans within the November elections.
Did he agree with Trump that individuals convicted of collaborating within the Jan. 6 assault are patriots?
“I assume people are patriots until they prove otherwise,” Cornyn instructed HuffPost.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), in the meantime, stated Trump might have used “more artful language” in regards to the Jewish folks, however he echoed his criticism of Schumer for calling for brand new elections in Israel.
“I gotta leave it to President Trump to figure out how he wants to communicate, but he’s not wrong about the Democrat leadership,” Tillis stated.
Solely Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a frequent critic of Trump, spoke out towards his Israel feedback on Tuesday, telling reporters he made an “incredibly wrong and an awful statement.”
After greater than eight years of defending him, Republican lawmakers are extremely practiced at excusing Trump’s language and habits. High occasion officers have coalesced totally behind his 2024 presidential bid though he sought to overturn his 2020 election loss, a primary in American historical past.
Republicans have been additionally unfazed by one other historic announcement final week by former Vice President Mike Pence, who instructed Fox Information final week that he received’t endorse Trump for president. His former boss, Pence stated, is “pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years.”
He additionally cited Trump’s calls for in 2020 that he block the certification of Biden’s election victory. When Pence refused, the indignant mob of Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 have been heard chanting “Hang Mike Pence” as they broke into the constructing whereas Congress met.
“I made it clear that there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues, and not just our difference on my constitutional duties that I exercised on January the 6th,” Pence stated Friday.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) stated Pence’s refusal to endorse Trump didn’t make him rethink his endorsement of the previous president.
“Each person has got to make up their own mind,” Grassley instructed HuffPost.
“Mike Pence had a front-row seat for what occurred on Jan. 6 and he had direct conversation with the president beforehand. Those types of personal events are pretty tough to keep out of mind,” stated Rounds, who has stated that he’ll again the GOP presidential nominee this 12 months.
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