{"id":1034004,"date":"2024-05-28T21:15:29","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T21:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1034004"},"modified":"2024-05-28T21:15:41","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T21:15:41","slug":"trumps-maga-veepstakes-vp-contenders-downplayed-january-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-maga-veepstakes-vp-contenders-downplayed-january-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s MAGA Veepstakes: VP Contenders Downplayed January 6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As Donald Trump\u2019s possible running mates continue to downplay January 6, <\/em>DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s potential running mates have the same shameful track record of eagerly rushing to downplay the horrific events of January 6 and continuing to echo his dangerous attacks on our democracy. Trump\u2019s veepstakes contenders are still desperately trying to out-MAGA each other as Trump continues to spew lies about the 2020 election, vows to pardon January 6 insurrectionists, and casts doubt on future election results. The American people remember the horrific attacks on our democracy and on law enforcement on January 6, and they will not be fooled by the incessant whitewashing from Trump and his anti-democracy MAGA minions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donald Trump\u2019s VP contenders have downplayed January 6.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim Scott<\/strong><\/a>: \u201c99 percent of the people who showed up were there to exercise their First Amendment rights. What I said then is what I’ll say now. I don’t hold those people at harm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hill<\/a>: \u201cJD Vance<\/strong> says he is \u2018skeptical\u2019 Pence\u2019s life was in danger on Jan. 6\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politico<\/a>: \u201cElise Stefanik<\/strong> calls Jan. 6 defendants ‘hostages’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newsweek<\/a>: \u201c\u2018There was no way they were going to overthrow the government,\u2019 said Rubio<\/strong>. \u2026 \u2018I also do not think people should be misled to think this somehow was on the verge of overthrowing the government.\u2019 Rubio also explained another reason why the events of January 6 should not be considered an insurrection. That was because Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election eventually resumed after protesters broke into the Capitol building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interviewer<\/a>: \u201cDo you see [Trump\u2019s] rhetoric as at least connected to the events that happened on January 6, even if you don\u2019t see them affecting trust in the democratic system overall?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Byron Donalds<\/strong>: \u201cNo, I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Associated Press<\/a>: \u201cNoem<\/strong> defends Trump legacy, deflects blame for Capitol mob\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roll Call<\/a>: \u201cSen. Tom Cotton<\/strong> of Arkansas consistently has staked out a tough-on-crime stance during his time in the Senate, but he and other congressional Republicans have sided with the defendants in a Supreme Court case about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC News<\/a>: \u201cVivek Ramaswamy<\/strong> promotes Jan. 6 conspiracy theory by suggesting it was ‘an inside job’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fox News<\/a>: \u201cTulsi Gabbard<\/strong> slams the Jan 6 hearings: It’s ‘political interest’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Carson<\/a>: \u201cI think it would have been appropriate, perhaps, to look at all of the alternative theories seriously because there was significant controversy about what had happened in the election.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump has made clear he wants an extreme election denier as a running mate, and his VP contenders are quickly falling in line by refusing to commit to accepting this November\u2019s election results.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interviewer<\/a>: \u201cDo you have any regrets about picking Mike Pence as your vice president? And what will you do differently this time around when you\u2019re vetting your VP?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump: \u201cMike did a good job until the end when he didn’t have the courage to do what you have to do. \u2026 if he did that, I believe you would have had different election results.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC News<\/a>: \u201cNone of these potential vice presidential picks have committed to accepting the 2024 election results, whether Trump wins or loses.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington Post<\/a>: \u201cTop Republicans, led by Trump, refuse to commit to accept 2024 election results\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe question has become something of a litmus test, particularly among the long list of possible running mates for Trump. \u2026<\/strong> The GOP\u2019s desire to appease Trump\u2019s fixation on 2020 now appears to loom over his search for a running mate.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York Times<\/a>: \u201cWill You Accept the Election Results? Republicans Dodge the Question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLess than six months out from the presidential contest, leading Republicans, including several of Donald J. Trump\u2019s potential running mates, have refused to commit to accepting the results of the election<\/strong>, signaling that the party may again challenge the outcome if its candidate loses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MSNBC<\/a>: \u201cPotential GOP running mates hedge on accepting election results\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrump, obviously, is refusing to commit to honoring the election results \u2014 the same posture he adopted four years ago \u2014 but so are those hoping to be his running mate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Axios<\/a>: \u201cRepublicans are increasingly joining former President Trump on hedging or dodging when asked whether they’ll accept the results of the 2024 elections.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York Magazine<\/a>: \u201cIs 2024 Election Denialism a Trump VP Litmus Test?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Axios<\/a>: \u201cTrump and his allies will want a VP pick that is more willing to comply with the former president’s wishes<\/strong>, which former Vice President Pence rejected by certifying the 2020 results.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN<\/a>: \u201cAs Trump continues to focus on his false claims over election integrity, many of his potential deputies expressed their own concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump continues to praise and promise pardons for violent January 6 rioters \u2013 who he calls \u201chostages\u201d and \u201cpatriots.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIME<\/a>: \u201cTrump has sought to recast the insurrectionist riot as an act of patriotism. \u2018I call them the J-6 patriots,\u2019 Trump tells TIME. When asked whether he would consider pardoning every one of them, he says: \u2018Yes, absolutely.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200b\u200bWashington Post<\/a>: \u200b\u200b\u201cFormer president Donald Trump on Thursday praised and embraced a woman convicted of defying police orders on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. \u2026 Trump has steadily escalated his advocacy for people charged in the Capitol riot, including by pledging to pardon them if he returns to the White House, praising them as patriots, participating in a recording with Jan. 6 prisoners singing the national anthem,<\/strong> and playing it at his first rally of the 2024 campaign last month.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hill<\/a>: \u201cTrump describes imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters as \u2018hostages\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington Post<\/a>: \u201cTrump vows pardons, government apology to Capitol rioters if elected\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC News<\/a>: \u201cFormer President Donald Trump promised Wednesday night that if he is elected he will pardon a \u2018large portion\u2019 of the people convicted of federal offenses for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump<\/a>: \u201cJanuary 6, it was the largest crowd I\u2019ve ever spoken to. And they were there proud, they were there with love in their heart. That was an unbelievable \u2014 and it was a beautiful day.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business Insider<\/a>: \u201cThen-President Donald Trump didn\u2019t want to specifically call for the Justice Department to prosecute January 6 rioters<\/strong> or forcefully condemn those who stormed the Capitol as unrepresentative of the MAGA movement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC News<\/a>: \u201cTrump spoke at a fundraiser for Jan. 6 defendants\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump has threatened political violence and warned of a \u201cbloodbath\u201d if he loses in November, and he is vowing to be a dictator on \u201cday one\u201d if he wins.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIME<\/a>: \u201cDonald Trump Says Political Violence \u2018Depends\u2019 on \u2018Fairness\u2019 of 2024 Election\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN<\/a>: \u201cMany people have lost American presidential elections over the last 230 years – Trump is the only one to say about violence if he loses \u2018it depends.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC News<\/a>: \u201cTrump says there will be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses the election\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rolling Stone<\/a>: \u201cTrump Says There Will Be a \u2018Bloodbath\u2019 and Elections Will End if He Isn\u2019t Reelected\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York Times<\/a>: \u201cTrump Defends His Warning of a \u2018Blood Bath for the Country\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Atlantic<\/a>: \u201cTrump Says He\u2019ll Be a Dictator on \u2018Day One\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Associated Press<\/a>: \u201cTrump declines to rule out abusing power to seek retribution if he returns to the White House\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington Post<\/a>: \u201cTrump calls political enemies \u2018vermin,\u2019 echoing dictators Hitler, Mussolini\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Guardian<\/a>: \u201cDonald Trump says he will lock up his political enemies if he is president again.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forbes<\/a>: \u201cTrump said of his relationships with dictators, \u2018the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them,\u2019 which he insisted is \u2018not a bad thing.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018The easy ones,\u2019 Trump said, referring to America\u2019s allies, \u2018I maybe don’t like as much or don’t get along with as much.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Donald Trump\u2019s possible running mates continue to downplay January 6, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:  \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s potential running mates have the same shameful track record of eagerly rushing to downplay the horrific events of January 6 and continuing to echo his dangerous attacks on our democracy. Trump\u2019s veepstakes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":263,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1034004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTrump\u2019s MAGA Veepstakes: VP Contenders Downplayed January 6 - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-maga-veepstakes-vp-contenders-downplayed-january-6\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-28T21:15:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-28T21:15:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/signal-2024-05-21-225610_002.png?w=780\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire DePree\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire DePree\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-maga-veepstakes-vp-contenders-downplayed-january-6\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-maga-veepstakes-vp-contenders-downplayed-january-6\/\",\"name\":\"Trump\u2019s MAGA Veepstakes: VP Contenders Downplayed January 6 - 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