The former president spoke at an RNC donor retreat Saturday night.
Former President Donald Trump ripped into Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell before a Republican National Committee donor retreat Saturday evening, deriding him as a “dumb son of a bitch.”
Trump veered off his prepared text during a roughly 50-minute speech before several hundred well-heeled GOP donors at his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida, saying that he was “disappointed” in former Vice President Mike Pence, calling last year’s presidential election election a “fraud” and mocking Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The former president spent several minutes tearing into McConnell, saying that he didn’t do enough to defend him during the February impeachment trial. At one point, three people familiar with the remarks said, Trump called the Senate GOP leader a “dumb son of a bitch.”
Trump also went after McConnell’s wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, for resigning her cabinet post after the Jan. 6 insurrection.
……..
Several attendees said there was little response to Trump’s insult.
Much of Trump’s Saturday night speech was aimed at relitigating the election results, on which the former president has remained fixated. At one point he said he remained disappointed with Pence for not doing more to stop the certification of the election, which he called “rigged.”
Trump’s ongoing criticism of Pence has created a rift in their relationship. While several other potential 2024 Republican hopefuls made the trek to South Florida for the event, Pence did not.
The former president also savaged Fauci, saying that he gave him bad advice. He poked fun of Fauci for botching a first pitch at last year’s opening day game for the Washington Nationals.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who spoke before Trump, also went after Fauci, sources said.
The three-day event drew a number of potential 2024 GOP contenders, including DeSantis, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Also present were several 2022 midterm election candidates, including Jane Timken and Bernie Moreno, both of whom are seeking Ohio’s open Senate seat.
……..
- Discussion
-
The latest verbal broadside against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the most powerful Republican still in elected office, comes as the former president reemerges as a dominant force in GOP politics https://t.co/UsyJ5RRXlO
— POLITICO (@politico) April 11, 2021
I don’t know what’s more pathetic — Trump’s behavior or that the attendees apparently were ok with it. Actually, the latter is downright frightening. is this what America has become?
I am glad though that he is no longer president. While I disagree with Pres. Biden on most matters of policy, it is good to have a president with class back in the White House.
It all bullshit – made up. So many lies. Provable, demonstrable lies. Virtually every elected GOPer knows it – most will tell you as much off the record.
But they're choosing to put him at the center of the party anyway. They're afraid of him & they're afraid of their voters. https://t.co/uVPMwPcpSE
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) April 11, 2021
.@Liz_Cheney on FTN, on Trump's speech last night:
"The former president is using the same language that he knows provoked violence on Jan. 6."
"The election wasn't stolen."
"If you attack the judicial process and you attack the rule of law…you're at war with the Constitution."— Will Saletan (@saletan) April 11, 2021
Liz Cheney on Trump's continued embrace of insurrection: "The former president is using the same language that he knows provoked violence on Jan. 6. As a party, we need to be focused on the future. We need to be focused on embracing the Constitution, not embracing insurrection." pic.twitter.com/8XMC6PFKJu
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 11, 2021
There is this attempt by GOP pols and anti-anti-Trumpers in the media to act as if the Trump/Cruz/Hawley.McCarthy coup was not a genuine attempt to overturn the election but every-time Trump speaks he reconfirms that he was in fact hoping for a genuine coup. https://t.co/ThNtAmZ3IL
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) April 11, 2021
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.