Trump's base is 'softening' on him over fears the J6 hearings are making him unelectable: former GOP lawmaker

During his appearance on MSNBC on Saturday morning, former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) said Donald Trump was likely losing support among his base due to the House Jan 6th hearings -- but not because he may face indictment on criminal charges.

Speaking with host Ali Velshi, Walsh -- a vociferous critic of the former president -- claimed he deals with Trump's base on a daily basis and they feel the constant drumbeat of revelations about their hero is making it impossible for him to be re-elected in 2024.

After discussing why some of his former colleagues --including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) -- are sticking with Trump to the bitter end, Walsh said Trump is likely seeing some of his fans walk away if they believe he is a lost cause.

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"Ali, [all] I have heard from Trump's base every day this week is they are not bothered by his behavior that they are finding out about these hearings," the former GOP lawmaker told the MSNBC host. "The only reason they are softening on Trump is because they think all of this stuff may make it harder for him to win again. That is all."

Asked about reporting on Trump throwing tantrums, Walsh added, "This strengthens Trump because it enables him and his people to say 'look, the media is going after me for silly stupid stuff, I threw ketchup against the wall.' But, Ali, the other thing is, that kind of behavior, look the American people --not just Trump's base right now -- the American people are pissed off. You and I have talked about it, we are living in a populist moment. The Republican populists are bad, like Trump and [Florida Republican Gov. Ron] DeSantis, but we don't have any Democrat populist right now to meet the anger of this moment."

Watch below:

MSNBC 07 02 2022 08 50 37youtu.be