Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) slammed Donald Trump in an interview with Al.com and said the former president should not run for re-election, as more Republicans are blaming him for the party’s poor performance in Tuesday’s midterms.
“Donald Trump has proven himself to be dishonest, disloyal, incompetent, crude and a lot of other things that alienate so many independents and Republicans. Even a candidate who campaigns from his basement can beat him,” Brooks said referring to then-candidate Biden conducting interviews from his home at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020 presidential election.
Brooks is a former close ally of Trump’s who spoke at the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6. Their relationship soured earlier this year after Trump rescinded his endorsement of him ahead of the GOP primary for US Senate in Alabama for saying voters need to move on from the 2020 election.
Brooks is the latest Republican to blame Trump for the party’s underwhelming performance in the midterm elections despite it being a favorable environment for the GOP.
Even though he is facing criticisms and calls to delay, Trump appears to still be moving ahead with plans to announce a 2024 presidential bid at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.
Brooks told AL.com that it would be a “bad mistake for the Republicans to have Donald Trump as their nominee in 2024.”
The Alabama congressman said he will support someone like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) or Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
“We need someone who is honorable, someone who has good character, someone that the American people respect,” Brooks said. “They might disagree with, but they respect. And Ron DeSantis is a fighter for the foundational principles that have combined to make America the greatest nation in world history.”
After six years in Congress, Brooks will leave on Jan. 3 2023 after his failed bid to fill the seat in the United States Senate left vacant by retiring Republican Sen. Richard Shelby. Katie Britt, Shelby’s former chief of staff, won the election to replace him.
