During a recent appearance on MSNBC’s Velshi, former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh made some bold statements about GOP opponents of former President Donald Trump. When discussing the reactions of these rivals to Trump’s recently unsealed 37-count indictment, Walsh claimed that they weren’t genuinely trying to defeat him but rather hoping for some external force, whether it be the justice system or a heart attack, to remove Trump from the picture.
Walsh suggested that the lukewarm response to the indictment was driven by a desire to avoid angering the Republican base, which remains fervently supportive of Trump. He emphasized that serious challengers to Trump would refrain from criticizing or attacking him, as their primary objective seemed to be banking on Trump’s removal through means beyond their control.
Expressing concern about the state of the Republican Party, Walsh described it as an authoritarian-embracing cult, asserting that there is no viable alternative figure to Trump within its ranks. He pointed out that the only other person making a significant impact in polls was Ron DeSantis, whom he referred to as a “Trump Mini-Me.” Walsh lamented that prominent figures like Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and Chris Christie failed to garner substantial support, illustrating the current state of the GOP.
Fellow former GOP Representative Charlie Dent chimed in, noting that despite Trump’s continued influence, there were Republican voters who desired a fresh direction for the party and were eager to move forward. Dent suggested that one of the competing candidates would eventually break through to capture this sentiment.
He criticized those candidates who attempted to emulate Trump’s style, arguing that they should not settle for being a cheap imitation when the original was available. Dent cautioned that aligning too closely with Trump during this critical time would not bode well for these candidates in a general election.
Walsh countered Dent’s viewpoint, asserting that defending Trump was a smart political move at present, given the desires of the Republican base. He believed that these contenders were primarily focused on securing the party’s nomination and, therefore, felt compelled to align themselves with Trump.
ALI VELSHI: This is not an abstraction for Republicans. They’ve got a presidential primary underway. They’ve got a guy who’s leading by double digits, and it’s Donald Trump.
JOE WALSH: And I, Ali, I need to say it again. I love my former colleague, Charlie Dent. I’m the crazy Tea Party guy. He was the responsible Republican congressman. I miss those days when we argued about issues.
Look, here’s the deal! No serious challenger to Donald Trump is going to criticize him or attack him. They’re not even trying to beat him, Ali. All they’re hoping for is that the justice system or a heart attack takes him out.
But the party is gone. Our former party is an authoritarian-embracing cult. If not Trump, Ali, who do they want? Who’s the only other person even registering in the polls? It’s Ron DeSantis. He’s a Trump Mini-Me.
There’s no following for Mike Pence or Nikki Haley or Tim Scott or Chris Christie. It’s hard to wrap your arms around the fact that one of our two major political parties is gone.
CHARLIE DENT: Joe What I would say is this. Here we are in June. We’re so far out from the presidential election. A lot can happen between now and then. Trump has been indicted two times. He may be indicted a few more times. He’s going to delay this thing as long as he can. But I do still think there are a lot of Republican voters out there who want to move on, who want something different. They want to move forward. So one of these candidates is going to break through. I agree with you that Ron DeSantis talking, basically trying to be the new Coke. Why be the new Coke when you can get the original? I mean, defending Donald Trump at a time like this, if you’re opposing him, I think is bad polity. Bad polity. Don’t take the cheap imitation. Yes, the original. I think it’s a mistake. They did the same thing after the (inaudible) Well, I don’t think it’s good politics at all, because how does this going to help them in a general election? By embracing Trump so close?
JOE WALSH: They want the nomination, my friend. They want the nomination. And it’s smart politics to defend Donald Trump right now because that’s what the base wants.
