Senate Republicans criticized former President Donald Trump’s comments that called for some parts of the Constitution to be terminated to enable the overturning of the 2020 general election.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) described Trump’s comments as “ridiculous,” emphasizing that the statements “besmirch our dedication to the Constitution.”
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally, described the former President’s comments about the Constitution as “very inappropriate” but expressed being pleased that Trump chose to “clarify” his remarks.
Graham added that despite many Republicans being “frustrated,” Trump’s call to dismantle the Constitution “wasn’t the answer.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX.) called Trump’s remarks “irresponsible,” questioning why “anybody would say something like that.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX.), a staunch Trump ally, refused to respond to questions about whether he believed there was any wrongdoing in Trump’s statements but insisted the Constitution “is enduring, and it will be for millennia to come.”
The remarks that drew the ire of Republicans in Congress were posted to Truth Social on Friday (December 2).
Trump’s comments drew headlines, bookending a crazy news cycle for Trump and coming days after he drew criticism for meeting with Ye, formerly Kanye West, and white supremacist Nick Fuentes, who have repeated antisemitic rhetoric.
Amid the backlash, the former President tried to backtrack on his comments, blaming the “Fake News” for twisting his words.
He noted that outlets had attempted to convince Americans that he called to “terminate” the Constitution. Instead, he claimed the reporting was ladened with “DISINFORMATION & LIES.”
Instead, he claimed that his Friday post was meant as a call for “steps” to be “immediately taken to RIGHT THE WRONG.”
Trump also called for, in a separate post, the election to go to “the rightful winner” or “be redone,” he added that when there’s “blatant fraud involved, there should be no time limit for change!”
