Trump’s vice president joined respective GOP members of Congress successful blasting Trump’s meal past week with Fuentes, who has often shared racist and Holocaust-denying contented online, and Ye, the rapper formerly known arsenic Kanye West who has besides made antisemitic comments. The erstwhile president’s determination to dine with Fuentes and Ye soon aft launching his 2024 statesmanlike run has already sparked wide condemnation from Democrats, but Republican lawmakers person been slower to talk retired — and astir who did truthful connected Monday stopped abbreviated of Pence’s telephone for an apology from Trump.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who vied against Trump successful the 2016 statesmanlike primary, said helium hopes to spot the erstwhile president condemn Fuentes, “because I cognize [Trump’s] not an antisemite. I tin archer you that for a information that Trump is not, but [Fuentes is] evil ... conscionable a nasty disgusting person. He’s an ass clown, and he’s trying to legitimize himself by being astir a former, possibly aboriginal president.”
Other Republicans frowned upon the gathering itself portion stopping abbreviated of outright condemnation. The Senate GOP’s No. 2 leader, John Thune of South Dakota, called the meal a “bad thought connected each level” and said whomever connected Trump’s unit advised it should beryllium fired.
“It’s ridiculous that helium had that meeting,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), different subordinate of GOP leadership. “And that’s each I’m gonna accidental astir it. Just crazy.”
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) condemned the thought of antisemitism mostly erstwhile asked astir the meeting, but went nary further.
“We cannot tolerate antisemitism. Period,” said Daines, who’s acceptable to seat Senate Republicans’ run limb for the 2024 election.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said helium wasn’t “gonna condemn anybody,” adding that Fuentes is “just not idiosyncratic that I would person a gathering with.” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) struck a akin note, saying portion helium wouldn’t personally dine with Fuentes, “It’s a escaped country, [Trump] tin bash immoderate helium wants.”
Both Rounds and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a adjacent state of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said they didn’t cognize who Fuentes was.
“I’m truly not going to walk immoderate much clip worrying astir whether oregon not those 2 radical are gathering with 1 another,” Rounds said.
Since his pre-Thanksgiving meal with Fuentes and Ye, Trump besides has said helium did not cognize who Fuentes was erstwhile the second — who joined scores of different achromatic nationalists successful attending the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally successful Charlottesville, Va., that turned convulsive — came to meal astatine Mar-a-Lago arsenic a impermanent of Ye.
The meal “was intended to beryllium Kanye and maine only,” Trump said successful a station connected his Truth Social platform, shying distant from nonstop disapproval of Fuentes.
Before Senate Republicans returned to Washington connected Monday evening, 1 of their ain had already tweeted with notably crisp criticism: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who voted to convict Trump astatine his 2nd impeachment trial, sought to enactment region betwixt Trump’s actions and the enactment arsenic a whole.
“President Trump hosting racist antisemites for meal encourages different racist antisemites,” Cassidy tweeted. “These attitudes are immoral and should not beryllium entertained. This is not the Republican Party.”
But crossed the Capitol, astir House Republicans person stayed much soundless up of their instrumentality to Washington connected Tuesday.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the incoming seat of the House Oversight Committee successful adjacent Congress’ GOP majority, told CNN connected Monday that helium “obviously” condemned the meeting, which Trump “never should person had.” Comer had been pressed to spell farther than his archetypal comments Sunday connected NBC’s “Meet the Press,” successful which helium said helium personally wouldn’t instrumentality a gathering with Fuentes.
Retiring Arkansas GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson told CNN connected Sunday that Trump was mounting a mediocre illustration by gathering with a “racist.”
“We request to debar those kinds of empowering the extremes. When you conscionable with people, you empower,” Hutchinson said. He added: “Every juncture that the question of achromatic supremacy, oregon neo-Nazism oregon denying the Holocaust comes up, you’ve got to beryllium perfectly wide successful your connection that this is not acceptable dogma.”
Burgess Everett contributed.
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