Republican Rep. Charlie Dent, who is resigning from Congress in May, said it’s unlikely he’ll support President Trump during the 2020 presidential election and believes his fellow Republicans will discuss changing the party’s nominee if they lose seats in November.
“I did not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in 2016, and I’m not prepared to support him in 2020,” Dent, of Pennsylvania, told CNN on Thursday. “And right now, as many have said, let’s watch the midterms. I think once these midterms occur, and if the midterms don’t go very well for my party, I suspect you’ll see a number of Republicans talking about making some changes at the top of the ticket.”
Retiring Rep. Charlie Dent says he’s “not prepared to support” President Trump’s bid for a second term, adding that if the midterm elections don’t go well for Republicans some will be hesitant to back Trump in 2020 https://t.co/VzpTk4vVfT https://t.co/1hqVgM6tqK
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 19, 2018
Dent, a vocal Trump critic, will step down from his seat in the coming weeks. The Pennsylvania Republican said he supported Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the Republican presidential primary in 2016.
While Dent said he was “not prepared” to back Trump, other Republicans have been hemming and hawing about endorsing the president in the 2020 race.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told CNN on Thursday it’s “way too early” to discuss the next presidential election, and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said an endorsement of Trump is “not something I’ve given any thought to.”
Dent said he believes his fellow Republican lawmakers have concerns about policy disagreements and the chaos within the White House.
“It’s clear to me, many of my Republican colleagues in Congress have reservations about the president’s conduct in office,” he said. “I think even though there may be agreement on some policies on the deregulatory moves or on the tax reform, there is concern on some policies like trade.
“A bit more broadly, I think there is a general concern about the dysfunction and chaos that we have grown accustomed to in the White House. I think that has become very unsettling and challenging for members of my party.”
