Republican loyalty runs deep, so deep that GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy says he would vote for Trump if he is nominated, even if Trump is convicted of a crime (something the senator believes is a strong possibility). But, Cassidy said that he hopes the former president drops out of the 2024 race entirely — likely so he won’t have to make that decision.
Since claiming in a 2021 interview that he decidedly would “not” vote for Trump in 2024, Cassidy has reversed course. Last November, while claiming the Republican party is “not a cult,” Cassidy refused to say he would not support Donald Trump. Now, Cassidy, who voted in favor of Trump’s second impeachment, says he plans to vote for the Republican nominee, even if it’s Trump.
Discussing Trump’s legal concerns on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, Cassidy said that the classified documents case seems like a “slam dunk” for the prosecution. “I can’t comment on the rest of them… but there’s at least one, which is the mishandling of the federal documents, which seems, again, a very strong case,” Cassidy said. “They have a tape recording of him speaking on it. If that is proven, then we may have a candidate for president who has been convicted of a crime. I think Joe Biden needs to replaced, but I don’t think Americans will vote for someone who has been convicted. So I’m very sorry about how all this is playing out.”
When host Kacey Hunt asked the senator if he thinks Trump should drop out of the race, Cassidy responded, “I think so. But obviously, that’s up to him… But he will lose to Joe Biden if you look at the current polls. I’m a Republican. I think any Republican on that stage in Milwaukee will do a better job than Joe Biden. And so I want one of them to win.” (Trump is expected to skip Wednesday’s GOP debate and will release a taped interview with Tucker Carlson instead.)
Hunt next asked Cassidy, “So if Donald Trump does ultimately win the Republican nomination, will you vote for Joe Biden or the Democrat over the Republican ticket?”
To this, Cassidy shook his head no. “I’m gonna vote for a Republican,” he said.