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Claiming that elections in “Third World countries” are “more honest,” Trump framed his own efforts to invalidate the democratic process as a populist crusade. Trump was inflaming his supporters with such battle cries just as Pence arrived at Capitol Hill and delivered a formal letter, outlining his belief that he cannot “reject electoral votes unilaterally,” essentially turning a deaf ear to the president’s public pressure campaign.
Many attendees followed the president’s directive to march up the National Mall toward the Capitol in order to “give our Republicans,” Trump said, “the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.” Although Trump retains the power to incite his supporters, McConnell’s speech was a clear sign that the president’s clout over his party may be waning.
True to form, Trump ignored the latest electoral setback, calling the Georgia runoff a setup,” instead claiming that the GOP owed its victories to him, and blasting “weak” and “pathetic” Republicans and presaging an ugly fight for control of the party. Referring specifically to Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, one of his most frequent GOP critics and the only member of his own party to vote in favor of his impeachment conviction, Trump celebrated a video showing a supporter harassing the lawmaker in an airport terminal.
I will find the guy that's going to take that military and make it really work.” And we won’t be using a man like Secretary Kerry that has absolutely no concept of negotiation, who’s making a horrible and laughable deal, who’s just being tapped along as they make weapons right now and then goes into a bicycle race at 72-years-old and falls and breaks his leg.