Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) says Republicans should “move on from the cult of Donald Trump.”
NBC’s Chuck Todd argued the Republican party had no platform in 2020 “other than loyalty” to Trump. He asked Hogan what the platform is going to look like in 2024 and what he hopes it looks like.
“I think the party has a winning message. We just had a bad messenger, and I think we’ve got to move on from the cult of Donald Trump and return to the basic principles that the party has always stood for,” Hogan replied.
Todd questioned Hogan about whether the Republican party can be successful without distancing itself from Trump.
“I don’t think they can,” Hogan said.
Watch his remarks below:
Todd also asked the Maryland governor if he would have voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial.
“I think the argument was pretty convincing…I’m not in the Senate but I probably would’ve voted with some of my colleagues that were on the losing side. So I was very proud of some of the folks who stood up and did the right thing,” Hogan said.
He continued, “It’s not always easy. In fact it’s sometimes really hard to go against your base… to do what you think is right for the country.”
Hogan predicted there is going to be a “real battle for the soul of the Republican party.”
He explained he believes there are going to be some Republicans who “try to fight for the party that we believe in.”
Hogan noted “there are going to be folks that want to continue to head down this road of Donald Trump.”
Trump was acquitted by the Senate on Saturday, as IJR reported. The majority of senators voted to convict in a 57-43 vote, including seven Republicans, short of the 67 votes needed to convict.
