NEW YORK, NY – Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, a Republican, expressed her disapproval of the current state of the GOP in an interview on MSNBC’s “The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart.” Whitman criticized the party for evolving into what she perceives as a “cult” centered around former President Donald Trump.
Whitman’s remarks on Sunday echoed the sentiments of a recent Washington Post op-ed by Robert Kagan, discussed in the interview. Despite facing 91 felony charges across four criminal cases, Trump continues to lead in polls for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He asserts his innocence, attributing the charges to a politically motivated “witch hunt,” a stance supported by his followers.
“We know Trump supports, first of all let me just say, I don’t think there is a Republican Party, there is a cult around Donald Trump. They didn’t adopt a platform in 2020, which meant that they didn’t set out what they stood for. It was whatever Donald Trump tells us we should stand for today, that’s what we’ll stand for. So it’s not a party as we have known it,” she said. ” Believe what he says. He says what he’s going to do. Believe him. He will tear down the very guardrails of our democracy—the rule of law, the respect for the Constitution. He said he’s going to do it. And no one should question that. He means what he says.”
The former governor’s comments highlight the ongoing division within the Republican Party, as some members distance themselves from Trump’s influence, while others remain steadfast in their support. Whitman, who served as New Jersey’s governor from 1994 to 2001, has been vocal in her criticism of Trump’s leadership style and its impact on the GOP.