Donald Trump is being urged to move past bitterly held grudges over Republicans he considers disloyal — or risk destroying his party in November, according to a report.
Members of the House GOP are increasingly worried that the former president can’t move on from perceived slights of the past, and that he’s more focused on revenge than he is on victory.
Politico reported their fears after speaking with nearly 20 lawmakers and aides.
They were prompted to speak up after Trump’s latest attack focused on Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL), the only Florida member of Congress who backed Gov. Ron DeSantis for the party’s presidential nominee.
She flipped to Trump after DeSantis dropped out of the race — but that wasn’t enough for Trump, who famously resents people he sees as disloyal. He called for Republicans to put up a challenger to boot her from her seat.
“Gratuitous attacks like these won’t help him win the presidency, and are counterproductive to building a conservative Congress eager to advance his agenda when he’s elected,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) told Politico.
“Fortunately, Laurel Lee will win her reelection by a comfortable margin, but in the meantime, these kind of statements alienate some of Trump’s potential voters.”
Similar fears were expressed about Trump’s refusal to court supporters of Nikki Haley, who President Joe Biden’s campaign is now actively wooing.
“If you’re focusing on your opponents, you’re focusing on whatever happened in 2020,” Rep Chip Roy (R-TX) said. “Well, that ain’t gonna do it.”
And Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) added, “There’s no reason that you wouldn’t want to expand the opportunity to bring more people to your side, to be appealing to more voters.
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"Polls, as we’ve seen particularly in recent years, are not predictive.”
Politico reported: “Trump is unlikely to heed such warnings to pivot to a more consistent general election message. So far this month, he has said that Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats “hate” their religion and described some migrants as “not people.
"But the fact that Hill Republicans are even attempting to refocus him, underscored by nearly 20 interviews with lawmakers and aides, illustrates their real worries about a 2024 cycle where their electoral fates are inescapably tied to the man at the top of the ticket.”