Trump Makes A Head-Turning Statement About The GOP Members Who Voted To Impeach Him
Former President Donald Trump made his first public appearance since leaving office at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla. on Feb. 28, 2021. The address followed days of speeches from fellow heavyweights within the Republican party, including Don Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, who set the stage for a grand finale from the Trump patriarch himself.
Teasing a possible presidential run in 2024, the ex commander-in-chief delivered a blistering condemnation not against President Joe Biden, but against those he felt had most wronged him, aka the GOP lawmakers who "sided" with the Democrats in his second impeachment trial.
Trump may be the latest to condemn these more independent lawmakers, but he is certainly not the first to do so within his party. Indeed, it looks like the majority of the GOP feels that Trump is the Republican party's best chance to regain control of the Senate and the country. Take South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, for example. During a Feb. 16, 2021 Fox News segment, Graham urged any wayward members of his party to get in line with pro-Trump supporters, explaining, "We don't have a snowball's chance in hell of taking back the majority without Donald Trump" (via Business Insider). Given this context, Trump's vitriol towards particular members of the GOP isn't surprising, but it still might be a touch vindictive. Here's what he had to say.
Donald Trump singled out his critics within the GOP
Donald Trump remains frustrated with GOP lawmakers who joined Democrats and voted to impeach him for the part he played in inciting supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. During his CPAC speech on Feb. 28, 2021, he referred to these party members as "Republicans In Name Only" or "RINOS," and claimed that they "will destroy the Republican Party, the American worker and our country itself," per The New York Times).
Going a step further in his personal vendetta, Trump singled out these Republicans by name, calling out Rep. Liz Cheney, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, and Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (per The New York Times). All three have criticized the former president for his role in the Capitol riot, and Kinzinger and Cheney have also denounced Trump's rhetoric, stating that the party would be better off cutting ties with him.
"Her poll numbers have dropped faster than any human being I've ever seen," Trump said of Cheney, branding her a 'warmonger.' "Hopefully they'll get rid of her with the next election," he added, according to the Los Angeles Times. This singling out of GOP members leaves them vulnerable to harassment within the party, but it also shows that Republicans remain divided from within. But Trump's call to "get rid of them all" (aka his opponents) may not resonate with his base. For now, Americans will have to wait and watch how things play out in the 2022 mid-term elections next year.