“I will not defend him anymore”: Republicans turn their backs on rising Donald Trump

NY – President Donald Trump’s firm hold on Republicans in Washington is beginning to break down, leaving him more politically isolated than ever before in his turbulent tenure.

After encouraging a crowd that later organized a violent attack on the United States Capitol, Trump appears to have lost some of his most powerful allies, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. Two members of his government resigned, as did at least half a dozen in attendance. A handful of Republicans in Congress are openly considering participating in a renewed impeachment attempt against him.

A Republican Party senator who had already distanced himself from Trump called for his resignation, questioning her own continuity in the formation.

“I want him out,” Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski told The Anchorage Daily News. “It’s done enough damage.”

The uprising that followed a resounding electoral defeat in two ballots in Georgia has accomplished what other bad moments in his presidency could not: forcing Republicans to reassess their relationship with a leader who long ago left tradition and decorum. The result could reform the party, jeopardize the influence Trump desires, while creating a rift between those in Washington and activists in regions where the president is highly popular.

“At this point I will not defend it anymore”, said Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary during George W. Bush’s presidency and a Republican party strategist and Trump voter. ‘I will not defend him because he stirred up the crowd and turned on the crowd. He is alone”.

At the beginning of the week, Trump was without a doubt the most dominant force in the Republican arena, pivotal in the nomination of the candidate in 2024 or even the Republican presidential candidate himself. On Friday, the feeling grew that he is marked forever and that he could be forced to leave office in 12 days before the end of his term.

In the absence of his resignation, requests for a second impeachment on Capitol Hill increased on Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress would initiate the process unless Trump leaves the White House “immediately and voluntarily”.

The elected president, Joe Biden, has not yet endorsed the proposal, suggesting that there is not enough time before he takes office on January 20 to achieve impeachment or any other constitutional solution.

“Now I’m focused on taking over the position of president and vice president on the 20th and moving our agenda forward as quickly as possible,” Biden told reporters.

Trump continues to receive support, especially among many voters and conservative activists outside Washington.

Thursday morning he was greeted with an ovation and yelled “We love you!” speaking on the phone at a business breakfast for the Republican National Committee in Florida.

“The vast majority of the committee is in a state of total denial,” said Bill Palatucci, a New Jersey Republican who sits on the committee and attends the meeting. “They are willing to condemn the violence, but without any reference to the role of the president in it.”

The president insists he has done nothing wrong. He continues to tell his advisers, at least privately, that they stole his election victory. Republican officials in major disputed states, his last attorney general, and a number of judges – some appointed by him – have dismissed those charges.

Trump had to be persuaded to record the video posted Thursday night, in which he eventually condemned the Capitol Hill robbers and first acknowledged their defeat in November, though he initially rejected the prospect of speaking negatively about “ my people. ” .

He agreed after being warned by White House attorney Pat Cipollone that he could face legal trouble for instigating the riots. Others, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and his daughter Ivanka Trump, urged him to send a message stifling conversation about his possible impeachment, either through impeachment or the constitutional process being set in the 25. considered. Amendment.

And while acknowledging that a new government is coming on January 20, he announced on Friday that he will not attend Biden’s inauguration. He thus becomes the first outgoing president since Andrew Johnson 152 years ago to not attend the inauguration of his successor.

Trump does not intend to leave the political debate once he leaves the Oval Office, according to his aides, who believe he will remain wildly popular with Republican grassroots.

To be clear, the false claims of voter fraud during his November defeat pushed hundreds of thousands of Republican voters into the vote in the Georgia Senate this week. About 7 in 10 agreed with the false claim that Biden was not the legitimate president-elect, according to the AP VoteCast, a poll of more than 3,700 voters.

And despite the continued loyalty of voters, elected officials in areas with a strong Republican tradition must remain loyal to the outgoing president, even if their own cabinet is not.

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