A slew of Republican lawmakers and conservative pundits have reluctantly joined the “Trump Train” since the New York billionaire became their party’s presumptive presidential nominee.
Some, like ex-White House hopeful Marco Rubio, intend to support Donald Trump but refuse to disclose whether that amounts to voting for him in November. Others, like New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, have said they plan to support the “Republican nominee,” without naming names.
Still, others have chosen to air long lists of grievances about Trump’s policies, before offering their tepid embrace.
As the general election nears, and the Trump campaign works to unify a fractured Republican party, expect more GOP lawmakers to lend their half-hearted support to the nominee. And expect many of those endorsements to sound like these:
‘I support the nominee, but… ‘
Sen. Ayotte faces one of the toughest re-election contests in the country and has been particularly cautious to associate with Trump since he entered the race. The Granite Stater even told Fox News last summer, “I don’t think he will be our nominee so I don’t think I have to worry about supporting him.”
Now that Trump has all but secured the nomination, Ayotte’s campaign claims the senator will “support the nominee” but refuses to endorse Trump.
“As she’s said from the beginning, Kelly plans to support the nominee,” the New Hampshire senator’s communications director told WMUR the day after Trump won Indiana’s Republican primary. “As a candidate herself, she hasn’t and isn’t planning to endorse anyone in this cycle.”
Similarly, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s endorsement of his former opponent came with a caveat. The first-term senator, who once called Trump an “erratic conman,” told CNN’s Jake Tapper earlier this week that he will support the billionaire as the last man standing, but refuses to actively campaign on his behalf.
“I stand by the things that I said,” Rubio told CNN, adding that he will be “of must use” campaigning alongside colleagues of his who face tough reelection contests.
When asked by Tapper, Rubio declined to explicitly say whether supporting Trump means he will vote for the billionaire in November.
‘I would support Trump if…’
Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador, who previously endorsed Ted Cruz months before the Texas senator exited the race in May, recently said he will support Donald Trump. But don’t confuse “support” with “endorse.”
To earn Labrador’s endorsement, Trump would need to address a laundry list of concerns the Idaho Republican still has and “grow up a little bit” on the campaign trail.
“So far he has not earned my endorsement, and he has not earned my active participation in his campaign,” Labrador told CNN last week. “He might not want it, and that’s OK. But I think he needs to come out and he needs to talk to a few of us in Washington, D.C., he needs to understand that 60 percent of the people in the party did vote against him.”
He continued, “Some of the comments that he makes are pretty immature. And I think he needs to learn how to bring these people together. His job is to bring the Republican Party together, and sometimes that’s hard after a very difficult fight. But I think that’s his responsibility, to come out and work with us.”
Maine Sen. Susan Collins has also said she would consider supporting Trump, but first wants to “see what [he] does from here on out,” including whether he quits making “gratuitous personal insults.”
Virginia Congresswoman Barbara Comstock told the Washington Post last week, that she would support Trump if and only if he can “earn the votes of me and many others.”
‘If it’s Trump vs. Clinton, give me Trump’
In the days since the Manhattan businessman was named the presumptive nominee, the biggest question his Republican skeptics have had to ask themselves is: Clinton or Trump?
Those who’ve chosen to support the latter candidate, but continue to take issue with him, include but are not limited to: Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Some, like Sandoval, have simply said they refuse to support a Democrat. “Elections are about making choices and the Democratic nominee is simply not an option.”
Others, like Jindal and Murkowski, cited a litany of complaints before deciding that Trump, to them, is the lesser of two evils.
“I do not pretend Donald Trump is the Reaganesque leader we so desperately need, but he is certainly the better of two bad choices,” Jindal wrote in a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
“I have always supported the Republican nominee for president. Elections are about choices and while Hillary Clinton is not my choice — with her clear record against Alaska’s priorities — Donald Trump has made numerous inappropriate statements in the past that are troubling,” Murkowski reportedly said in a statement.
“Now, he needs to shift his focus to unite Republicans around conservative policies that will bring economic growth and prosperity back to our nation,” she added.
