During a recent interview on MSNBC‘s Velshi, former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh made strong statements regarding GOP opponents of former President Donald Trump. In discussing their reactions to Trump’s recently unsealed 37-count indictment, Walsh claimed that their true intentions were not to defeat him genuinely.
Instead, he argued that they were hoping for external forces, such as the justice system or even a heart attack, to remove Trump from the political landscape. Walsh suggested that the lukewarm response to the indictment stemmed from a desire to avoid upsetting the fervently supportive Republican base.
He emphasized that serious challengers to Trump refrained from criticizing or attacking him, as they seemed to rely on Trump’s removal through factors beyond their control. Expressing concerns about the state of the Republican Party, Walsh characterized it as a cult that embraced authoritarianism, highlighting the absence of a viable alternative figure to Trump within its ranks.
He noted that the only other person making a notable impact in polls was Ron DeSantis, whom he referred to as a “Trump Mini-Me.” Walsh lamented the lack of substantial support for prominent figures like Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and Chris Christie, which he believed reflected the current condition of the GOP.
Fellow former GOP Representative Charlie Dent added to the discussion, acknowledging that despite Trump’s enduring influence, there were Republican voters seeking a fresh direction for the party and an opportunity to move forward. Dent suggested that eventually, one of the competing candidates would break through and capture this sentiment.
Dent criticized those candidates who tried to mimic Trump’s style, arguing that they shouldn’t settle for being cheap imitations when the original was available. He cautioned against aligning too closely with Trump during this critical time, as it might not fare well for these candidates in a general election.
Walsh countered Dent’s viewpoint, asserting that defending Trump was a politically astute move given the desires of the Republican base. He believed that these contenders were primarily focused on securing the party’s nomination, which compelled them to align themselves with Trump.
ALI VELSHI: THIS IS NOT AN ABSTRACTION FOR REPUBLICANS. THEY’VE GOT A PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY UNDERWAY. THEY’VE GOT A GUY WHO’S LEADING BY DOUBLE DIGITS, AND IT’S DONALD TRUMP.
JOE WALSH: AND I, ALI, I NEED TO SAY IT AGAIN. I LOVE MY FORMER COLLEAGUE, CHARLIE DENT. I’M THE CRAZY TEA PARTY GUY. HE WAS THE RESPONSIBLE REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN. I MISS THOSE DAYS WHEN WE ARGUED ABOUT ISSUES.
LOOK, HERE’S THE DEAL! NO SERIOUS CHALLENGER TO DONALD TRUMP IS GOING TO CRITICIZE HIM OR ATTACK HIM. THEY’RE NOT EVEN TRYING TO BEAT HIM, ALI. ALL THEY’RE HOPING FOR IS THAT THE JUSTICE SYSTEM OR A HEART ATTACK TAKES HIM OUT.
BUT THE PARTY IS GONE. OUR FORMER PARTY IS AN AUTHORITARIAN-EMBRACING CULT. IF NOT TRUMP, ALI, WHO DO THEY WANT? WHO’S THE ONLY OTHER PERSON EVEN REGISTERING IN THE POLLS? IT’S RON DESANTIS. HE’S A TRUMP MINI-ME.
THERE’S NO FOLLOWING FOR MIKE PENCE OR NIKKI HALEY OR TIM SCOTT OR CHRIS CHRISTIE. IT’S HARD TO WRAP YOUR ARMS AROUND THE FACT THAT ONE OF OUR TWO MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES IS GONE.
CHARLIE DENT: JOE WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THIS. HERE WE ARE IN JUNE. WE’RE SO FAR OUT FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. A LOT CAN HAPPEN BETWEEN NOW AND THEN. TRUMP HAS BEEN INDICTED TWO TIMES. HE MAY BE INDICTED A FEW MORE TIMES.
HE’S GOING TO DELAY THIS THING AS LONG AS HE CAN. But I DO STILL THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS OUT THERE WHO WANT TO MOVE ON, WHO WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT. THEY WANT TO MOVE FORWARD. SO ONE OF THESE CANDIDATES IS GOING TO BREAK THROUGH. I AGREE WITH YOU THAT RON DESANTIS TALKING, BASICALLY TRYING TO BE THE NEW COKE.
WHY BE THE NEW COKE WHEN YOU CAN GET THE ORIGINAL? I MEAN, DEFENDING DONALD TRUMP AT A TIME LIKE THIS, IF YOU’RE OPPOSING HIM, I THINK IS BAD POLITY. BAD POLITY. DON’T TAKE THE CHEAP IMITATION. YES, THE ORIGINAL. I THINK IT’S A MISTAKE. THEY DID THE SAME THING AFTER THE (INAUDIBLE) WELL, I DON’T THINK IT’S GOOD POLITICS AT ALL, BECAUSE HOW DOES THIS GOING TO HELP THEM IN A GENERAL ELECTION? BY EMBRACING TRUMP SO CLOSE?
JOE WALSH: THEY WANT THE NOMINATION, MY FRIEND. THEY WANT THE NOMINATION. AND IT’S SMART POLITICS TO DEFEND DONALD TRUMP RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THE BASE WANTS.
