Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) stood in front of reporters and took a sideways shot at Donald Trump over the Republican Party’s midterm blowout.
Burchett, known for his folksy remarks on cable TV, is lobbying to fill the Senate seat that will open when Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) becomes Tennessee’s governor. As governor, Blackburn will choose her own replacement. According to AL.com, Burchett didn’t hold back when asked what went wrong for Republicans last week.
“Our messaging stinks,” Burchett told reporters. “Case in point: the week of the State of the Union we messaged about appliances.”
“I think people are hurting and they don’t need to hear about that it takes you four times to flush a commode,” he continued. “Our messaging stinks. We gotta change that, and I’ve talked to leadership and hopefully they listened.”
Burchett didn’t name Trump, but the target was hard to miss. Few politicians have talked about toilets more than the president. During his first term, he repeatedly complained that water-saving rules forced Americans to flush “10 times, 15 times,” and in his second term he made rolling back efficiency standards for showerheads, dishwashers and other household appliances a signature talking point.
Burchett, who has represented the Knoxville area since 2019, has a history of breaking with his party’s leadership. In 2023, he was one of eight Republicans who voted to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
His comments add to a growing chorus of Republicans publicly questioning the party’s Trump-centered strategy after Democrats seized control of both the House and Senate, with GOP operatives citing the Iran war, rising costs and Trump’s style as reasons for the losses.
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