by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that Donald Trump could have a “hard time” being president again if he believes parts of the US Constitution should be overridden due to allegations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
But the Kentucky Republican avoided a follow-up question about whether he would refuse to support Trump in 2024.
“Someone who wants the presidency and essentially says that the Constitution should be suspended or not obeyed in some way, it seems to me, would be very difficult to take the oath,” McConnell said at a weekly press conference on Capitol Hill.
Deliberately avoiding any coverage of the former president, McConnell did not directly criticize or mention Trump. His latest comments were little more than a political guess about Trump’s likelihood of staying in the White House for another term – much like the former president’s response to his last dinner with a white nationalist.
Over the weekend, Trump proposed a rerun of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday amid newly published messages showing Twitter employees discussing stories about current President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
“A Giant Fraud of this type and size allows for the repeal of all rules, regulations and clauses, including those contained in the Constitution,” Trump said on social media platform Truth Social.
Trump’s comments drew harsh criticism from some GOP lawmakers, but none of them went so far as to exclude support for the 2024 presidential nomination in the future. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) called the remarks “irresponsible”, while Senator Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said his party “must decide whether these are for the circus clown or for the Constitution”. ”
Some of Trump’s biggest allies have expressed mild disagreement without directly criticizing the former president. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said the Constitution had “no exceptions” and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said the Constitution was “permanent and will last for a thousand years.”
Meanwhile, Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who wants to be a speaker next month, circumvented a CNN reporter’s question about Trump’s comments earlier Tuesday.
“I fully support the Constitution,” McCarthy told CNN.
