Donald Trump blasted Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell—both Republicans—in his latest Truth Social tirade on Sunday.
The ex-president's rant against the lawmakers began on Friday when Trump accused Vos of doing "a terrible thing to Wisconsin" after he refused to overturn the state's election results and a Republican-ordered investigation into the election found no evidence of election fraud.
After Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, he and his allies said he only lost due to widespread voter fraud in swing states including Wisconsin—which narrowly voted for President Joe Biden—despite a lack of substantial evidence to back up these claims.
Vos—whom Trump dubbed a "RINO," or Republican in name only, on Sunday—previously backed the president's claims of voter fraud but has said there is no path to decertify the election.
Trump again took aim at Vos on Sunday in several posts, writing that he is "seriously thinking of Supporting and ENDORSING his Opponent" because "anyone would be better." Vos faces a primary fight from Adam Steen, who is challenging the chamber's top Republican from the right.
"And Robin Vos is only getting worse," Trump wrote Sunday. "Wants toll booths put on many highways, and a BIG GAS TAX ASAP. He is a RINO disaster, very much as the worst politician in the Nation, 'Giveaway' Mitch McConnell, who gives the Dems everything, and gets NOTHING for it - Never fights for Republicans!"
Vos has insisted that efforts to overturn the election would be impossible and illegal, but Trump has still sought to pressure him to do so. Trump's frustration with Vos grew after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the use of ballot drop-boxes in the state is unconstitutional. In a Truth Social post at the time, Trump called on Vos to in response "turn over the election" to him.
"It's now up to Robin Vos to do what everybody knows must be done. We need FAIR and HONEST Elections in our Country," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "Speaker Robin Vos has a decision to make! Does Wisconsin RECLAIM the Electors, turn over the Election to the actual winner (by a lot!), or sit back and do nothing as our Country continues to go to HELL?"
Vos told local news station WISN that Trump called him to request he overturn the election—but that he "explained it's not allowed under the constitution." Vos also said the court's decision was not retroactive and only applies to future elections.
Trump's latest attack comes as Vos faces new scrutiny over the taxpayer-funded investigation into the election, which, in addition to finding no credible evidence of fraud, also revealed contempt for Wisconsin's open records law by Vos, the Associated Press reported. The investigation upheld Biden's victory in the state, where he won by just over 20,000 votes, equating to less than a percentage point.
Trump Slams McConnell
As for McConnell, the Kentucky Republican has long had a rocky relationship with Trump—one further strained by McConnell's rejection of voter fraud claims.
Trump on Sunday referred to him as a "'giveaway' Mitch McConnell," potentially referring to the senator helping to pass the CHIPS Act Wednesday—after which Democrats announced they'd move forward with the Inflation Reduction Act, a large spending bill, after all.
McConnell had previously threatened to block the CHIPS Act if Democrats passed the larger spending bill. Democrats announcing a plan to pass the bill right after the CHIPS Act passed prompted Trump to accuse McConnell of being "played by the Democrats again" in a Truth Social post Friday.
Newsweek reached out to the offices of Vos and McConnell for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
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