Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) says former President Donald Trump is âtoxicâ for the Republican Party and the country and is urging his party to try to âget back to the more traditional big-tent partyâ he says it used to be.
During an interview on CNNâs âState of the Unionâ Sunday, Hogan was asked if he shared Rep. Liz Cheneyâs (R-Wyo.) view that Trump is an âongoing threat to American democracy.â
âI think heâs toxic for the Republican Party and for the country,â Hogan responded. âAnd I think weâve got to find a way to get the Republican Party back to the party of Lincoln and Reagan, get back to the more traditional big-tent party that can appeal to a majority of people.â
He added, âOtherwise we simply arenât going to have control, weâre not going to get the White House back and we wonât have control of the House and the Senate.â
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When asked if he believes that Cheneyâs removal from House Republican leadership sends a message that people who share her views are not welcome in the party, he said, âIt certainly appears to send that signal.â
While he said it is âvery early in the fightâ over which direction the party should go, he called the move to oust Cheney a âmistake.â
âTo ostracize somebody, remove them from their leadership position, is crazy ⌠Itâs kind of doubling down on failure. Weâve lost the White House, the House, and the Senate over the past four years, and to continue to, you know, do the exact same thing and expect a different result is the definition of insanity,â Hogan added.
House Republicans voted last week to strip Cheney from her position as House Republican Conference chair after her repeated criticism of Trump and willingness to push back on his unfounded claims that the presidential election was stolen, as IJR reported.
