Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) chided an opinion article for referring to supporters of former President Donald Trump as a threat to democracy, calling the writer’s claims “devoid of facts.”
The article referred to a recently published book titled White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy, which claims that Trump supporters face various stereotypes, such as being racist, believing in conspiracy theories, and being willing to use violence to achieve goals.
The piece, written by Michael A. Cohen, said the two authors of the book, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, professor Tom Schaller and former Washington Post columnist Paul Waldman, “persuasively argue that most of the negative stereotypes liberals hold about rural Americans are actually true.”
“I find it to just be insane,” Donalds said on Fox News Sunday. “I find it to be gaslighting black people and Hispanic people in our country. I find it to be devoid of facts. Michael Cohen has obviously never been to a Trump rally and actually talked to Trump voters. That is a lie. It is disgusting that we’re even having this conversation.”
Donalds then said MAGA Republicans, an acronym standing for “Make America Great Again,” want leaders to “put America first, not last.” Among the desires are wanting a secure border, obtaining lower inflation, and being “respected across the globe.”
The Florida lawmaker then offered Cohen a chance to attend a Trump rally to see what Trump supporters are really like, ostensibly believing that the Cohen who made the claim about MAGA Republicans was Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen.
“I’ll walk side by side with him, and he can see what’s really going on instead of putting up with this foolishness,” Donalds said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Donalds has been a vocal supporter of the former president, saying that Trump’s opponent in the Republican presidential primary, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, has “no path to victory” ahead of Super Tuesday. The Florida lawmaker is also rumored to be a candidate for Trump’s vice presidential nominee, a position to which he said he would be open.
President Joe Biden is seeking reelection this November, setting the stage for a rematch with Trump. Several polls have indicated that Trump would win such a rematch, with one poll showing Trump beating Biden in seven swing states.
Correction: A previous version of this story cited Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, as making the statements to which Donalds was referring. The Washington Examiner regrets the error.
