Former US Sen. speaks against Trump
Ex-Sen. LeMieux says Trump is now ‘unelectable’
Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., said Saturday that DonaldTrump is unelectable and should step aside as the Republican presidential nominee.
“Donald Trump’s demeaning view toward women, his lack of judgment, temperament and commondecency disqualify him from public office,” LeMieux said in a telephone interview with the Sun Sentinel. “For the good of our party, and our country, he should step aside immediately.”
LeMieux, of Lighthouse Point, saidTrumpshould be replaced at the top of the ticket by Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana andRepublican nominee for vice president.
“I hope the rest of the party leadership makes the same decision. And we can get Mike Pence in there as our nominee, because that’s the right thing to do. If Donald Trump has any sense of duty to his party and his country, he’ll step aside. He’s unelectable now,” LeMieux said.
Others involved in the Republican Party in South Florida stood by Trump on Saturday, including state Rep. George Moraitis, RFort Lauderdale, and Michael Barnett, chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party, who said he was “absolutely still supporting him.”
If Trump remains the nominee, LeMieux said he would not vote for him. LeMieux, a lifelong Republican who served as chairman of the Broward Young Republicans two decades ago, then chairman of the Broward Republican Party, and as a U.S. senator from 2009 to 2011, has never before publicly not supported one of his party’s candidates.
After a video came out Friday in which Trump described in graphic detail how he thought he was entitled to have his way with women, LeMieux said he’d had enough. LeMieux called Trump’s words “outrageous and horrible comments about what he thinks he can do to women without their consent.”
“From attacking the parents of a fallen soldier to attacking Miss Universe to this most outrageous of all, these comments, at some point you have to make a decision you can’t support him and you have to put your country over your party.”
Over the summer, LeMieux was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Under Florida Republican Party rules, LeMieux was required to vote for Trump, something he did with the rest of the delegation.
“I’ve been skeptical of Donald Trump and been on the recordbeing skeptical of Donald Trump since the time he announced. But I am a loyal Republican Party guy. So I have done everything I could to give him every benefit of the doubt,” LeMieux said.
LeMieux, a lawyer, said he isn’t as familiar with election law as experts in the field and others in the party. But he said he believes mechanisms are in place to make Pence the candidate if Trump steps aside.
Trumpsaid thatwouldn’t happen. “The media and establishment want me out of the race so badly — I WILL NEVER DROP OUT OF THE RACE, WILL NEVER LET MY SUPPORTERS DOWN! #MAGA,” Trump wrote onTwitter. The hashtag “MAGA” refers to his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
On Friday night, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., criticized Trump’s comments but was silent Saturday as some otherRepublicans broke with the nominee. Rubio, who sought theRepublican presidential nomination but lost to Trump — including the Florida primary on March 15— has endorsed Trump.
“Donald’s comments were vulgar, egregious & “If Donald Trump has any sense of duty to his party and his country, he’ll step aside. He’s unelectable now,” said former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., suggesting the GOP should name Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, as its nominee.
impossible to justify. No one should ever talk about any woman in those terms, even in private,” Rubiowrote Friday on Twitter.
A statement from the campaign of the Democratic candidate against Rubio, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy of Jupiter, labeled Rubio’s tweet “empty rhetoric.” Murphy said that “if Sen. Rubio cannot withdraw his endorsement after this latest sickening news, then he should withdraw fromthe race.”
Trump still has plenty passionate supporters South Florida.
“We’re pushing forward and moving on,” said Dolly Rump of Coral Springs, Trump’s Broward campaign chairwoman. “That’s old news,” she said of the of in “Donald’s comments were vulgar, egregious & impossible to justify. No one should ever talk about any woman in those terms, even in private,” Rubio tweeted Friday without withdrawing his endorsement.
video, adding, “He was a Democrat when he said that.” Rump declined to say anything more.
Sue Snowden of Boca Raton, the Palm Beach County chairwoman for Trump’s campaign, said she was at work Saturday afternoon in the campaign office and “absolutely” still supports him. She, too, declined further comment.
Moraitis, who is running for re-election in an east Broward district that is home to many moderate Republicans, criticized Trump’s comments, but said he’s still supporting him for president.
“I can’t condemn that strongly enough. That’s just inappropriate behavior, private or public. I certainly don’t condone it,” Moraitis “It is something that happened some time ago. Clearly if he said something [like that] right now I would not be able to support him. But ... he’s apologized for it,” said state Rep. George Moraitis, R-Fort Lauderdale.
said.
“In terms of who am I supporting, him or Hillary Clinton for the election, I’m still supporting Donald Trump,” hesaid, adding that “I still think he’s in a better position to change the trajectory that our country is on in terms of the major issues,” Moraitis said.
Moraitis said he has Republican friends who don’t support Trump and said “I understand there’s just people who can’t support him now because of that [the video]. It certainly makes it difficult. I acknowledge that,” he said.
The timing of the video – it happened in 2005 – makes adifference, Moraitis said. “It is something that happened some time ago,” he said. “Clearly if he said “Nobody can defend those comments,” said Michael Barnett, chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party, adding that in apologizing, Trump exhibited “that humility and respect that people are looking for.”
something [like that] right now I would not be able to support him. But he said it some time ago and he’s apologized for it.”
Moraitis’ Democratic election challenger, Ken Keechl, sees some potential political advantage in the Republican’s continued support ofTrump. Ina written statement, Keechl said continuing to support Trump means Moraitis “condones Donald Trump’s words and action.”
Barnett — an early, vocal and enthusiastic supporter of Trump — said the video Trump released early Saturday “should end the matter. Nobody can defend those comments. Neither can he. That’s why he came out and apologized. He’s right to apologize.”
Barnett said he thought the video showed Trump “can exhibit that humility and respect that people are looking for.”
On Saturday, Barnettwas part of a group that knocked on doors in Royal Palm Beach on behalf of local Republican candidates. They went to residences with at least one registered Republican living there.
“A lot of them brought it up,” Barnett said, but Trump supporters weren’t wavering. “Their only concernwas, ‘Do you think this has negative consequences? Is it going to hurt him?’ Nobody I spoke with said they were going to affect their vote.”