Donald Trump’s latest rant on his Truth Social app became a major topic on the Sunday political talk shows, with three Republicans being confronted over the former president and 2024 candidate’s calls to suspend the Constitution.
On ABC News’ “This Week,” Indiana Rep. Dave Joyce was confronted by host George Stephanopoulos about Trump’s unsubstantiated claim of “massive fraud” in the 2020 election that “allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.” Joyce responded by saying that he didn’t comment on Trump’s tweets when he was president and that he was “not interested in looking backwards.”
“Donald Trump was your nominee in 2016,” pressed Stephanopoulos. “You voted for him in 2016 and 2020. Now he’s talking about suspending the Constitution. Can you support a candidate in 2024 who’s for suspending the Constitution?”
“Well, again, it’s early,” Joyce replied. “I think there’s going to be a lot of people in the primary. I think at the end of the day, whoever the Republican then the pick (sic) I’ll fall in behind.”
When the host pressed further trying to ask Joyce why he would support a Republican candidate who supports suspending the Constitution, the Congressman dismissed the idea that it would be disqualifying on the grounds that Trump would not be able to do such a thing.
“Well, he says a lot of things,” Joyce said. “But that doesn’t mean that it’s ever going to happen. So you’ve got to accept that fact from fantasy. And fantasy is that we’re going to suspend the Constitution and go backwards. We’re moving forward, and we’re going to continue to move forward as a Republican majority and as a Republican conference.”
Over on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Jake Tapper asked newly elected New York Rep. Mike Lawler, who defeated Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney in last month’s midterms. A moderate Republican, Lawler was more firm in his rejection of Trump’s comments.
“Obviously I don’t support that,” Lawler answered. “The Constitution is set for a reason, to protect the rights of every American. So I certainly don’t endorse that language or that sentiment. I think the question for everyone is how we move forward?”
“I think people are tired of discussing the grievances of prior elections, and they want to know what we’re going to do to address the challenges,” he added. “I think the former president would be well advised to focus on the future if he’s going to be running for president again.”
And on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Margaret Brennan asked Indiana Rep. Mike Turner about the social media post, also adding Trump’s recent dinner meeting with Neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes.
Turner said that he “vehemently disagreed” with what Trump wrote and was “disgusted and nauseated” by the idea of the former president meeting with a white supremacist. But he did not go as far as to say he would not support Trump if he wins the GOP nomination in 2024, hinting that he believes Republican voters will pick someone else.
“There is a political process that has to go forward before anybody’s a frontrunner, or anybody is even the candidate for the party,” Turner said. “And I believe voters are smart and they’ll take those things into consideration in a political process.”
