On Saturday night, former President Trump came back to the campaign trail; he gave his support to Max Miller, a Republican congressional candidate running to remove Representative Anthony Gonzalez.
During Trump’s first campaign appearance since leaving office, he held a loud rally in Wellington where he slammed Gonzalez as a “disgrace” and a “sellout.”
Trump blasts GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who voted for impeachment, as 'a grandstanding RINO' and 'a disgrace' to Ohio https://t.co/QKPney02YH
— Politics Insider (@PoliticsInsider) June 27, 2021
Gonzales was one of the ten Republicans in the House who voted to impeach former President Trump, allegedly due to his role in the attack on the Capitol on January 6.
Trump said Gonzalez is a grandstanding Republican in name only
Trump told his supporters that Gonzalez is a grandstanding Republican in name only (RINO) and was not respected in the House; the 45th president then slammed the Ohio representative for voting for what Trump called an “unhinged” and “unconstitutional” impeachment. He told his supporters that the impeachment proceedings were a “witch hunt.”
The former president also assured the crowd that he is not supporting Miller only to spite Gonzalez, but instead, it is because Gonzalez’s character is “not so good.”
After Gonzalez voted to impeach Trump, Miller declared his campaign for Congress. Miller then mentioned that he needs the help of GOP supporters to get Republican in name only (RINO) Gonzalez out of office.
The Central Committee of the Republican Party in Ohio previously voted to condemn Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez; they called for him to resign due to his support to impeach former president Trump.
Bob Paduchik, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said in a statement that the resolution they made addresses the unconstitutional and politically motivated impeachment proceedings that served no purpose.
Paduchik added that they believe Republicans and Democrats alike have the right to vote for what they choose. The same applies to the Central Committee of the Republican Party in Ohio that also has the right to stand for its principles and convictions.
On the other hand, Max Miller, a former Trump aide and a primary challenger against Gonzalez, stated that Gonzalez’s vote to impeach Trump represents accountability.
Miller said they would continue to spread the strong pro-Trump message
In a statement, Miller said that the Ohio GOP has the right to make Gonzalez accountable for breaking promises, abandoning his constituents and the Republican Party.
Miller added that whether Gonzalez resigns or not, they will continue to spread their strong pro-Trump “America First” message to the district.
JUST IN: Ohio GOP censures Rep. Anthony Gonazlez, calls for resignation over vote to impeach Trump https://t.co/kS2KmkazPx pic.twitter.com/oOs8c7ayQL
— The Hill (@thehill) May 7, 2021
Meanwhile, in his speech, Trump also called out all the other Republicans he believes have betrayed the party. This included Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and Rep. Liz Cheney, who both voted for Trump’s impeachment.
Although the former president has yet to announce any official plans to run for the presidency in 2024, he already endorsed several GOP candidates who joined the Republican stronghold.
