Pennsylvania Republican Lou Barletta, who has been a fervent Trump supporter since 2016, is now saying he is disembarking from the MAGA train.
As reported by Politico, the former Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate and congressman counted himself among Donald Trump’s most diehard loyalists.
Be endorsed ten-candidate Trump at a time in 2016 when many GOP elected officials saw the reality TV personality-turned-politician as radioactive. He even served as the co-chair of his first presidential campaign in Pennsylvania.
But he’s not on board with Trump’s 2024 presidential bid.
“I’m not supporting him,” Barletta told Politico. “I was one of his most loyal supporters in Congress. But loyalty was only a one-way street.”
The report by Politico suggests that Barletta started souring on Trump after the former president shunned his campaign to be Pennsylvania’s next governor and instead endorsed ultra-MAGA crony Doug Mastriano, whose disastrous gubernatorial campaign resulted in a 15-point loss to Pennsylvania Governor-Elect Josh Shapiro.
Barletta is not the only MAGA fanatic to feel burned by the former president.
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), who joined Trump onstage to encourage protesters to “kick-ass” ahead of the deadly January 6th Capitol riots, has similarly slammed Trump for being disloyal.
“It would be a bad mistake for the Republicans to have Donald Trump as their nominee in 2024,” Brooks said recently. “Donald Trump has proven himself to be dishonest, disloyal, incompetent, crude and a lot of other things that alienate so many independents and Republicans. Even a candidate who campaigns from his basement can beat him.”
Read more at Politico.
