Trump attacks senator for not supporting his big 1:10 lie
(CNN) ––
Top Republicans closed ranks in favor of Senator Mike Rounds, after he suffered a scathing attack from former President Donald Trump for acknowledging the reality that Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
"I think Senator Rounds told the truth about what happened in the 2020 election," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN on Tuesday.
"And I agree with him," he said.
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The exchange is the latest sign that many Republicans, especially in the Senate, are eager to get over Trump's obsession with the 2020 election. And instead focus on more fertile ground: Biden's agenda and his efforts to take back both houses of Congress in 2022.
Yet Trump continues to reach out to the party given his enormous grassroots influence, his tight grip on House Republicans, and his ability to draw attention to their outright falsehoods and conspiracies about the outcome of the 2020 election. Indeed, , leading Republicans are concerned that the former president's remarks about the election could suppress Republican voter turnout in the fall.
A situation that for several congressmen was what cost them the two Georgia seats in the Senate –– and therefore the majority–– last January.
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The latest outbreak occurred over the weekend, after Rounds said that any "irregularity" in the 2020 vote would not have changed the outcome of the contest.
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"The election was fair, as fair as we've seen. We just didn't win the election, as Republicans, for the presidency," Rounds told ABC News.
That comment, which is backed by facts, sparked a volley from the former president.
Trump called Rounds "a jerk" and "ineffective."
He also vowed "never" to back Rounds for re-election, though he won't face voters again until 2026.
"Is he crazy or is he just stupid?" Trump said in a statement.
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Rounds, who has a low-key and pleasant demeanor, as well as being highly esteemed by his colleagues, remained in his comments. In that sense, he said he was "disappointed but not surprised" by Trump's statements. Rounds indicated in conversation with CNN on Tuesday that Republicans must tell voters the truth about what happened in 2020 so they can trust the results of the free and fair elections in 2022 and beyond.
"No one is looking for confrontations," Rounds said, defending his comments.
"What we are looking for is to be able to provide quality information, in a timely manner, but to be seen as responsible and honest. I think that is what the American people deserve. And I think that is what many of us want to do. We do not seek to fight. . What we seek is to say here are the facts and they will not change, "he said.
Rounds added: "Why are we having this discussion now? I think because we are getting closer and closer to 2022, in which we want people to come out and vote. We want them to have faith in the electoral process. We want them to feel that they are part of this and that your vote really matters. "
Some Trump allies even came out in defense of Rounds on Tuesday.
"I've always said that I agree that the election was not stolen, at least to the extent that it was an illegal theft," said Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota, who maintained that Democrats took advantage of that electoral rules were relaxed during the pandemic.
"I got over it a long time ago, and most members of Congress have, including Mike."
Other Republicans said it was time to focus on something other than 2020.
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"I say to my colleague, welcome to the club," said Senator John Thune, the top Republican of South Dakota, of Trump's attack on Rounds, a situation he has endured before.
"I don't think re-litigating or reviewing the past is a winning strategy. If we want to be the majority in 2023, we have to go out and articulate what we are going to do about the future that Americans are going to live and the things that are going to be for them. matter when it comes to economic issues, national security issues, "he added.
Many Republicans were upset by the personal nature of Trump's attacks on Rounds, who lost his wife in November after a battle with cancer.
"I make a huge exception for anyone who calls Mike Rounds an idiot," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia.
"Because he is one of the kindest, friendliest, and most sincere members that we have."
Still, some Republicans wanted to stay out of the fray.
"Nothing to add to what's already out there," Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican and a member of the GOP leadership, said when asked about the episode.
CNN's Ted Barrett, Morgan Rimmer and Lauren Fox contributed to this report.