CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp said Monday on “The Lead” that she believed most Republican presidential candidates will not criticize former President Donald Trump because they don’t want to tell the white nationalists who voted for him, “We don’t want you.”
Anchor Jake Tapper said, “I spoke with Nikki Haley yesterday, Ambassador Haley. This was her only criticism of Trump.”
Sunday on CNN, Haley said, “I think the majority of Americans know we need a new generational leader that we need to lead the negativity of the past behind us.”
Tapper said, “I asked her about the fact that a candidate who is facing 91 indictment, although he’s not been convicted of anything, might not be the best standard-bearer for a party that considers itself law and order based? She said he’s not been convicted of anything. He gets his day in court. True. Do you think Republican candidates might criticize him more if he’s convicted? What do you think is going to be the thing that breaks the dam?”
Cupp said, “Oh, gosh, I don’t think anything will break the dam. We should say Chris Christie has been swinging at Trump pretty hard.”
Tapper said, “As has Asa Hutchinson and Will Hurd.”
Cupp said, “One of Trump’s favorite criticisms of late is calling someone milquetoast. This was a pretty milquetoast way of going at Trump, saying we need to leave the negativity behind. What about the authoritarianism? What about the criminality? What about abuses of power? What about the gross rhetoric? The problem is for these people to implicate Trump means they also have to implicate his voters.”
She added, “None are willing to say, listen, white nationalists, Proud Boy, Oath Keepers, we don’t want you. The Republican Party is not your safe space. You will not find comfort in a Nikki Haley administration. They won’t say that because they all still want to win, and they all still somehow seem to think they’ll get Trump voters if they don’t swing at Trump more vigorously, but they can’t. They’re not going to win the cult of Trump over. It’s just not going to happen.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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