CNN’s Cuomo Battles GOP Sen. Johnson For Refusal to Back Trump’s Re-election: ‘You’re in a Box’
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) appeared on CNN’s New Day and faced a grilling from host Chris Cuomo on why he won’t commit to supporting President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection bid.
“Will you back the president of the United States, Donald Trump, the standard bearer of your party, in his re-election bid?” Cuomo asked.
“Chris, you know it’s way to early to be talking about –” Johnson replied.
“No it isn’t!” Cuomo shot back. “Not to say that you support the guy who’s president, who’s the head of your party.”
“Yes it is,” Johnson said. “It could be a completely different world by 2020.”
“Listen, I understand the kind of gotcha question you’re engaging here,” he added. “But it is way too early to even be talking about it.”
“I am offended that you would see it as a gotcha question,” Cuomo noted, before asking if Johnson thought it was unusual for him to not commit to backing the president.
“Would you at least acknowledge that it is unusual in our partisan political culture to hear members of a party to say that they are not behind a member of their party who is president?” Cuomo pressed.
“I think it’s unusual that members of the media would be talking about the 2020 election in 2018,” Johnson said, before sniping at Cuomo: “Let’s talk about the problems facing our nation.”
“That’s one of the problems, because if the party isn’t behind the president you guys are going to have your own divisions to deal with,” Cuomo shot back.
The two continued to spar, with Cuomo concluding, “I think you’re in a box,” and listing the other Republicans who have said it’s “too soon” to back Trump.
Watch above, via CNN.
[image via screengrab]
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