On Saturday, former President Donald Trump posted a shocking new low, even for him, on his Truth Social website, calling for the termination of the U.S. Constitution to overturn the 2020 election and reinstate him to the presidency.
Trump wrote:
“Do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION? A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
He continued by pushing more of his conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being stolen from him and accusing “Big Tech” of working closely with Democrats to do so. “Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!” Trump wrote.
The comments came after new Twitter owner Elon Musk said he planned to reveal how Twitter engaged in “free speech suppression” leading up to the election, but the files released by Twitter did not show evidence of that at all.
Trump faced fierce backlash, and quickly, even from some within the Republican party.
Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said that he “vehemently” disagrees and “absolutely” condemns Trump’s remarks, and noted they factor in to a GOP decision on who should be their nominee in the 2024 race:
“There is a political process that has to go forward before anybody is a frontrunner or anybody is even the candidate for the party. I believe that people certainly are going to take into consideration a statement like this as they evaluate a candidate.”
Mike Lawler, Turner’s fellow Ohio Rep, agreed, and said it’s time to move on from Trump’s claims of election fraud costing him the election:
“The Constitution is set for a reason, to protect the rights of every American. I think the former president would be well-advised to focus on the future, if he is going to run for president again.”
Trump enemy Liz Cheney wrote that “Donald Trump believes we should terminate “all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution” to overturn the 2020 election. That was his view on 1/6 and remains his view today. No honest person can now deny that Trump is an enemy of the Constitution.”
Democrats were also predictably quick to criticize the former President, with White House spokesman Andrew Bates blasting Trump, saying “You cannot only love America when you win.”
Bates continued:
“The American Constitution is a sacrosanct document that for over 200 years has guaranteed that freedom and the rule of law prevail in our great country. Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation.”
Incoming House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said that Trump’s statement was “strange and extreme” and said the GOP is going to have to choose whether they will continue to embrace Trump’s anti-democratic views or not:
“Republicans are going to have to work out their issues with the former president and decide whether they’re going to break from him and return to some semblance of reasonableness or continue to lean in to the extremism, not just of Trump, but Trumpism.”
