In interviews following the midterm elections, some former and current Republican members of Congress wouldn’t commit to a Donald Trump bid for the presidency in 2024.
With the results still being counted in some states, numerous sitting members and former lawmakers took aim at the former president for the party’s subpar results:
Rep. Troy Nehls: “There’s just a lot of negative attitudes about Trump,” Nehls said on Houston Morning News. The Texas conservative once called Trump one of America’s greatest presidents after winning his endorsement in spring 2022.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum: On the Dom Giordano program, a conservative talk radio station in Pennsylvania, Santorum compared Trump to Moses in the Bible — but said it was time to move on.
“He changed, he transformed the Republican party, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the right guy to actually lead the party going forward into an era of governance and prosperity,” Santorum said.
“Just be happy you’re Moses, and it’s time to turn the page,” said Santorum, who endorsed Trump in 2016.
Former Rep. Mark Walker: On North Carolina talk radio on Thursday, Walker, the former vice chair of the Republican Conference, blasted Trump for backing Mehmet Oz and others, saying Trump picked the “wrong horse” in many races. Trump backed Walker’s opponent in the Republican primary for North Carolina’s Senate seat, Ted Budd — who went on to win the race this week.
“You’re looking long-term and taking a look, (Florida Gov.) Ron DeSantis may be the guy,” said Walker, citing DeSantis’ lopsided win.
Rep. Tim Walberg: On the Steve Gruber Show, Michigan’s Walberg said the former president might need to change his message when he was asked about Trump-endorsed candidates losing around the country.
“I hope that President Trump, as he moves forward, really does a postmortem and thinks what this means to his message,” said Walberg, who Trump endorsed this cycle.
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