The backlash against Donald Trump for Republicans underwhelming performance in the midterm elections is growing as the Republican lieutenant governor of Virginia called him a “liability” for Republicans and said she cannot support him in 2024.
“I could not support him. I just couldn’t,” Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears (R) told Fox News.
Sears was once a strong supporter of Donald Trump and even served as the chair of “Black Americans to Re-elect the President” during his 2020 re-election campaign, the New York Times reports.
Asked why she no longer supported Trump, Sears said the resounding defeat of several candidates he endorsed in this year’s midterms made her change her mind about the former president.
“The voters have spoken, and they’ve said that they want a different leader,” she said. “And a true leader understands when they have become a liability. A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage, and the voters have given us that very clear message.”
Sears’ comments come days before Trump is expected to announce a bid for the presidency in 2024.
Sears is the latest Republican to blame Trump for the anticipated red wave on Tuesday night failing to materialize. Heading into the midterms, Republicans were confident that they could easily flip the House and pickup a few seats in the Senate.
However, several of the candidates who won GOP primaries, backed by Trump lost their races. Days later it still remains unclear which party will control Congress in 2023.
