Trump Loses Newsmax Contributor Rick Santorum, Who Clashes with MAGA Loyalist After Midterms Debacle
Right-wing Newsmax TV, which has been extremely supportive of Donald Trump, hosted a debate about the former president’s effect on the Republican Party’s underwhelming performance in Tuesday’s midterms.
Republicans hoped a “red wave” would bring them clear majorities in the House and Senate. Instead, the GOP is poised to retake the House in modest fashion while potentially failing to win the upper chamber. Some Trump-backed candidates in key races at both the federal and state levels lost or appeared headed for defeat as of this writing.
Among Trump’s high-profile endorsements was Mehmet Oz, who failed to hold the Republican seat occupied by the retiring Sen. Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania. Oz lost to Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in May.
Newsmax contributor and former Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who has supported Trump, questioned the former president’s grip on the party Tuesday night as election results rolled in.
Santorum pointed to the double-digit reelection victory by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor has been rumored to be a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate and challenger to Trump. While DeSantis won his race handily, several high-profile Trump-backed candidates struggled on Tuesday.
Santorum listed several Republican governors who won reelection and said, “These are good conservative folks, but they’re folks who aren’t divisive people.”
He proceeded to rip Trump without mentioning him by name.
“And I’m looking at the rest of the team – and you know who the leader of the rest of the team is – and the rest of the team didn’t do well tonight. We’re barely–it looks like the Republicans will barely take the House right now.”
Former Trump official Mercedes Schlapp objected to Santorum’s analysis by saying that several Trump-backed candidates – including Oz in Pennsylvania – were running for office for the first time.
“Here you have a lot of these first-time candidates,” she said. “J.D. Vance has never run for office. Dr. Oz, never run for office”
Schlapp then offered a muddled comment about Pennsylvania politics.
“With all due respect, I know Pennsylvania well,” Santorum shot back. “The person who won the Republican primary–and the person who won it was the most Trumpy person by far, not even close. He was there on Jan. 6.”
Santorum was referring to failed gubernatorial candidate and Trump endorsee Doug Mastriano, who was present amid the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“He mouthed every word Donald Trump did on the election and so did Mehmet Oz,” Santorum said. “Mehmet Oz would not have won that primary had Donald Trump not dragged him across the finish line.”
The former senator concluded, “This is the beginning of a debate. This is what happens when elections don’t go well.”
Watch above via Newsmax.
