Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that former President Donald Trump’s influence in the Republican Party is “waning.”
Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Do you think Republicans are increasingly receptive to that message? Do you think Donald Trump’s hold on your party is finally slipping?”
Toomey said, “Absolutely I do. First, I think his influence was waning, not as quickly as I had hoped it would. I think it was waning. But the election outcome from last month, I think, dramatically accelerates the waning, and, frankly, his unbelievably terrible rollout of his re-election, his election campaign is also not helping him. Yeah, I think you see it manifested in a number of ways. One obvious way was quite an impressive turnout of prominent Republicans who have been going to events like the RNC meeting in Las Vegas, openly talking about themselves as candidates after Donald Trump had already made it clear he was running. So it tells you that they perceive the Republican electorate to be much more open.”
He added, “In my travel since the election around Pennsylvania, I’ve heard from many, many formerly very pro-Trump voters that they think it’s time for our party to move on. So, yes, I think that process is underway. It’s not a flip of a switch. It doesn’t happen overnight. He still has a significant following, that’s for sure, but I do think his influence is waning.”
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