Pence, other Republicans issue rare rebuke of Trump over dinner with Fuentes and Ye - The Washington Post

He joined respective Republican senators who besides straight criticized the erstwhile president successful statements disavowing the meal with Fuentes and Ye. Pence’s comments were besides 1 of the clearest instances of the erstwhile vice president trying to acceptable himself isolated from Trump, whom helium served for 4 years, amid the anticipation that Pence volition situation Trump for the GOP statesmanlike information successful 2024.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and erstwhile New Jersey politician Chris Christie — each rumored to beryllium eyeing a statesmanlike tally — were quicker to knock Trump.

Christie tweeted connected Saturday: “This is conscionable awful, unacceptable behaviour from anyone, but astir peculiarly from a erstwhile President and existent candidate.”

“Well, I hope, someday, we won’t person to beryllium responding to what erstwhile President Trump has said oregon done,” Hutchinson said successful an interrogation Sunday connected CNN. “In this instance, it’s important to respond. … I don’t deliberation it’s a bully thought for a person that is mounting an illustration for the state oregon the enactment to conscionable with an avowed racist oregon antisemite.”

Some Senate Republicans kept their comments focused connected Fuentes specifically, oregon antisemitism broadly, avoiding speaking straight astir Trump, successful a motion of the continuing power the erstwhile president holds implicit the party.

Mike Pompeo, who served arsenic Trump’s caput of authorities and who is besides said to beryllium considering a tally for the White House, tweeted on Sunday, “Anti-Semitism is simply a cancer. As Secretary, I fought to prohibition backing for anti-Semitic groups that pushed BDS. We basal with the Jewish radical successful the combat against the world’s oldest bigotry.”

Monday’s antithetic deluge of disapproval from Senate Republicans came 5 days aft Trump’s meal astatine Mar-a-Lago and astir 3 weeks aft Republicans earned a humble House bulk but failed to instrumentality backmost the Senate successful the midterm elections, sparking a wide statement astir whether and however the enactment should determination distant from Trump’s influence.

“President Trump hosting racist antisemites for meal encourages different racist antisemites,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) tweeted. “These attitudes are immoral and should not beryllium entertained. This is not the Republican Party.”

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said Trump should person “certainly” known who helium is eating with, telling reporters Monday, “I wholly deliberation it’s ridiculous to beryllium sitting down with idiosyncratic who espouses specified views.”

Trump has acknowledged helium had a backstage meal with Fuentes and Ye astatine his edifice successful Palm Beach, Fla., connected Tuesday night. According to a station connected TruthSocial, the erstwhile president said that Ye had called him “to person meal astatine Mar-a-Lago” and that the rapper past “unexpectedly showed up with 3 of his friends, whom I knew thing about.”

Ye and Fuentes joined an online amusement Monday nighttime to sermon the meal — which Ye said had been scheduled successful October but got pushed backmost until aft Trump announced his candidacy — and its aftermath, wherever Ye seemed to corroborate Trump’s mentation of the events.

“[Nick] was rolling with me, I was impressed with Nick, I was like, ‘Just travel to the dinner.’ … We sat determination and erstwhile Trump came successful … I said, ‘Do you privation to beryllium alone?’ And he’s like, “No, bring your friends.' ”

Ye, the rapper formerly known arsenic Kanye West, precocious mislaid billions of dollars of nett worthy aft businesses chopped ties with him for repeatedly making antisemitic remarks. Fuentes has espoused racist and antisemitic views, endorsed segregation, attacked immigrants and made airy of the Holocaust. He has been labeled a achromatic supremacist person by the Anti-Defamation League, which helium denies. Trump has claimed that helium did not cognize Fuentes but has not condemned his meal guests oregon their views since reports of the repast emerged.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said successful a connection that she condemns “antisemitism and achromatic supremacy” and that “the president should ne'er person had a repast oregon adjacent a gathering with Nick Fuentes.”

The nationalist critiques of Trump were notable aft years successful which galore Republicans remained soundless arsenic helium courted extremists. Still, galore stopped abbreviated of a afloat denouncement.

In his interrogation with NewsNation, Pence defended Trump’s character. He pointed retired that Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, had converted to Judaism, and that her children with hubby Jared Kushner are Jewish.

“I don’t judge Donald Trump is an antisemite. I don’t judge he’s a racist oregon a bigot. I would not person been his vice president if helium was,” Pence added. “I deliberation the president demonstrated profoundly mediocre judgement successful giving those individuals a spot astatine the table.”

Meanwhile, respective Republican senators placed blasted connected unnamed Trump unit alternatively of the erstwhile president.

“Whoever had work for knowing the backgrounds of radical successful the room, I anticipation they’re already fired due to the fact that that was atrocious decision-making connected their part,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Monday. He declined to accidental whether Trump should apologize.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters Monday that the meal was “just a atrocious thought connected each level.”

“I don’t cognize who was advising [Trump] connected his staff, but I anticipation that whoever that idiosyncratic was got fired,” Thune said.

Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mt.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) some mostly said determination was nary country for Fuentes’s views successful the GOP.

Asked whether Trump should condemn his meal guests, however, Scott said, “I deliberation Republicans should each condemn achromatic supremacy and antisemitism.” Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said helium didn’t deliberation anyone should “give oxygen to radical similar that” but said helium would inactive enactment Trump.

In a statement, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said that “white supremacy, neo-Nazism, hatred code and bigotry are disgusting and bash not person a location successful the Republican Party.”

A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to aggregate requests for comment.

Earlier Monday, White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre criticized Trump for the meal — arsenic good arsenic Republicans who had declined to remark connected the meeting.

“There is conscionable nary spot for these types of vile forces successful our society,” Jean-Pierre told reporters astatine the White House. She added: “And let’s not forget, erstwhile you accidental things similar this, erstwhile you … bash not talk retired against these benignant of poisonous and unsafe benignant of remarks oregon representation, if you will, that is besides incredibly unsafe wrong itself.”

On the Senate level Monday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) blasted Trump implicit the gathering and called connected lawmakers from some sides of the aisle to bash the same.

“For a erstwhile president to beryllium down and person meal with a high-profile antisemite is disgusting and dangerous,” Schumer said. “To springiness an antisemite adjacent the smallest platform, overmuch little an assemblage implicit dinner, is axenic evil.”

Leigh Ann Caldwell, Azi Paybarah, Hannah Knowles and Isaac Arnsdorf contributed to this report.