Critics are beginning to underscore the “deafening” silence from major GOP players as President Trump and his team gear up for a historic legal battle over the fundamental integrity of the presidential election.
The Trump campaign has been sounding the alarm and filing lawsuits in key battleground states as part of a greater effort to protect legal voters. From issues to election monitoring, to the late arrival of mail-in ballots, to allegations of dead individuals “voting,” the Trump campaign is charging forward, vowing to challenge these issues head-on in court.
Donald Trump Jr. is among those on the right who have noticed a stunning lack of action from members of the GOP in the midst of this historic battle.
“The total lack of action from virtually all of the ‘2024 GOP hopefuls’ is pretty amazing,” he said. “They have a perfect platform to show that they’re willing & able to fight, but they will cower to the media mob instead. Don’t worry, @realDonaldTrump will fight & they can watch as usual!”
“One notable exception seems to be Ron DeSantis right now,” he continued, adding that the Florida governor has been “active and vocal”:
While the president’s eldest son did not name specific people, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is among those who have not backed Trump nor his efforts in the days following the election.
“We don’t want them to find any ballots at four o’clock in the morning and add them to the list,” Trump said on election night. “Ok? It’s a very sad moment. To me, this is a very sad moment, and we will win this. And as far as I’m concerned, we already have won it.”
“There’s just no basis to make that argument tonight,” Christie said:
“I disagree with what he did tonight,” Christie continued. “I think Sarah’s right, that there comes a point where you have to let the process play itself out before you judge it to have been flawed.”
“I think by prematurely doing this, if there is a flaw in it later, he has undercut his own credibility in calling attention to that flaw,” he added, calling it a “bad strategic decision” and “bad political decision.”
Eric Trump and Fox contributor Tammy Bruce also highlighted GOP silence, as did others.
“Where is the GOP?! Our voters will never forget…” Trump warned:
“For GOP pols who are banking on Trump not being reelected excusing your silence during election fraud, think about what’s best for this country, & then realize *no matter what happens w this election* Donald Trump & his voter support base will still be here,” Bruce said:
Other GOP figures have been less overt in their skepticism of the president’s efforts, remaining largely silent throughout the process. Few, including Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), have spoken out.
“What is going on here? Why the secrecy?” Hawley asked on Wednesday, referencing a video showing an individual covering the windows at Detroit’s absentee ballot counting center:
“If last 24 hrs have made anything clear, it’s that we need new election integrity laws NOW. Ban ballot harvesting, guarantee poll watcher access, make ballot counting transparent,” Hawley said Thursday as the election continued to hang in the balance:
Jordan also highlighted the need for election integrity, asking, “Why is it always Democrat-run cities in swing states that experience voting issues?”:
“If true, this is HIGHLY disturbing,” Sen. Cruz said of reports alleging that Democrats are “stealing” the election in key states, such as Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
“Elections should be decided by actual voters, not unscrupulous political operatives after the fact,” he added:
On Thursday, Sen. Cotton posted a link to Trump’s legal defense, stating that “all votes that are *legally* cast should be counted.”
“There is NO excuse not to allow poll watchers to observe counting,” he added:
Adding to the fury is a Thursday report from Axios that cited a “source close to McConnell” who said that the Senate “would work with Biden on centrist nominees but no ‘radical progressives’ or ones who are controversial with conservatives.”
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