A MAGA fan said Donald Trump hugging the American flag at CPAC was what cemented his support for the former president.
On Sunday, ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz interviewed three supporters of the former president in Pennsylvania who are standing by him amid his ongoing legal battles.
Jim Vinup, a long-time Republican said Trump’s flag hugging is one of the reasons why he became a “diehard Donald Trump fan” and will vote for him again in November.
“When he came down the escalator, I thought, huh, this is crazy. You know, this guy, he’ll never get anywhere,” Vinup said, according to a clip posted by Mediaite. “Well, as things went on, I became a diehard Donald Trump fan. Donald Trump does what he says. The only reason he didn’t get a lot more done is because they gave him grief every minute of every day.”
“Has he made mistakes? Oh, my goodness, yes. But I do believe that his heart’s in the right place for me,” Vinup added. “How many presidents, how many politicians have come out on stage and hugged the American flag? That really means something to me.”
Pressed about Trump’s treatment of veterans, including several who worked in his administration, Vinup doubled down on his support for the former president.
“[Gen. John] Kelly, I lost respect for Kelly. [Gen. Jim] Mattis. I lost respect for Mattis. [Gen. Mark] Milley. I lost respect for Milley,” Vinup said. “And these were people that he put his trust in. And you know what, they stabbed him in the back.”
