Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears revealed on Thursday that she could no longer support former United States President Donald Trump if the latter decides to run for office again in the 2024 presidential elections, calling the Republican businessman a "liability."
Sears said during an interview that the former president has had plenty of accomplishments with the economy and with public safety. However, she noted that voters showed in the midterm elections that they now want the GOP to have a different leader.
Backing Away From Trump
Republican lawmakers have been hoping for a red wave in the midterm elections to lead their party to significant gains in the House and Senate. However, despite expectations, Democrats fought a fierce election and outperformed many polls across various races in the United States.
The GOP also appears likely to win control of the House but the margin of which would be much narrower than they had expected. With recent results of the election, control of the Senate remains uncertain, as per The Hill.
Many Trump-backed Republican candidates in key House, Senate, and gubernatorial races have either lost or are in significant jeopardy of losing. Furthermore, several GOP strategists and aides have blamed the former president for the losses in what looked like winnable races.
Sears said that a true leader understands when they have become a liability to their followers and knows when it is time to get off the stage. The Virginia official added that the voters have already sent a very clear message of that fact.
According to the National Review, Sears, who served as chair of "Black Americans to Re-elect President Trump" in 2020, said that it was time for the Republican Party to "move on" from the former president.
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Trump is 'Becoming a Liability'
Sears' comments come after the former president said last week that he was planning to make a "very big announcement" on November 15 at Mar-a-Lago. This is widely expected to be an announcement for a 2024 presidential campaign.
The Virginia lawmaker is only one among many in the GOP who are starting to turn their backs on Trump after the poor performance of Republicans earlier this week. Long-staunch supporters of the former president, Murdoch-owned properties, appeared to have turned on the Republican businessman as well.
Trump said on Saturday that he was polling way above Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who he nicknamed "Ron DeSanctimonious" for the GOP 2024 presidential nomination. During a rally in Latrobe, Pa., the former president said that he was at 71%, adding that DeSantis was at 10% and former Vice President Mike Pence was at 7%.
Sears' non-support of Trump may have started at the time that she canceled an appearance at the former president's "Take Back Virginia" rally that was held in October 2021. This decision followed the lead of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, another Republican who is also viewed as a possible 2024 presidential candidate. However, the latter did not say whether or not he was considering a run for the president's office when asked last month, WRIC reported.
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