Flake: Trump ‘Plays Well to the Base, But It’s a Shrinking Base’

Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) said Monday on CNN’s “Situation Room” that former President Donald Trump’s “popularity and strength” were fleeting every day.

The show’s assembled political panel discussed former President Donald Trump’s comments at a Republican fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump reportedly called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)  a “stone-cold loser” and criticized former Vice President Mike Pence and former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

Former Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) said, “You know, it’s amazing to me, Wolf, that they sit in this room and hear more name-calling, more divisiveness, more anger. I mean, how do you expect to sell something to voters when you’re just divisive and angry and name-calling and belittling? The party needs to move to a set of issues that will improve the lives of Americans, and so far, I haven’t heard any of what they plan to do. As far as I’m concerned, the party is going to continue to shrink and not connect.”

Blitzer said, “We’ve been hearing a lot from John Boehner, the former Republican Speaker, Senator, talking about how the Republican Party needs to get back to its roots, the party of Boehner. So you think that party still exists?”

Flake said, “I think there are a number of Republicans, a lot of Republicans who want the get back there. John was right, what went on in Mar-a-Lago, it plays well to the base, but it’s a shrinking base. If we want to be successful in future elections, then we have to do more what John Boehner is talking about. We’ve got to appeal to a broader electorate. That shouldn’t be hard to figure out, but that is what we have to do.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

 

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.