[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] Former President Donald Trump, who has claimed that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen, is now demanding the termination of the constitutional election regulations, drawing bipartisan criticism.
According to AP News and others on the 4th (local time), former President Trump made this claim through his social media platform Truth Social. This followed Twitter CEO Elon Musk's revelation the previous day that Twitter had suppressed the spread of articles related to Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, during the 2020 election, confirming a form of 'suppression of freedom of expression.'
In response, former President Trump urged, "This type of large-scale fraud allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and provisions, including those in the Constitution." He asserted, "Our great Founding Fathers neither wanted nor would have allowed such a fake fraudulent election." He also questioned, "Will the 2020 election results be discarded and the rightful winner declared, or will a new election be held?"
This is the first time former President Trump, who has long claimed fraud in the 2020 election, has mentioned terminating the Constitution. The New York Times (NYT) reported, "This blatant proposal to terminate the Constitution is surprising even by former President Trump's standards, who has spent the past two years spreading claims of fraud in the 2020 election and inciting illegal attempts to overturn it," adding, "Just three weeks ago, former President Trump declared his candidacy for the presidency, pledging to protect and uphold the Constitution."
However, such remarks have drawn criticism not only from the Democratic Party but also from within the Republican Party. Andrew Bates, Deputy Press Secretary at the White House, stated in a press release, "The Constitution is a sacred and inviolable document that has enabled freedom and the rule of law in America for over 200 years," and pointed out, "Attacking the Constitution is denying our soul." He added, "You (Trump) cannot love America only when you win."
Hakim Jeffries, the next House Majority Leader from the Democratic Party, appeared on ABC's This Week and called former President Trump's remarks "extreme," warning that the Republican Party must choose whether to continue accepting such anti-democratic views. He said, "Republicans must decide whether to resolve their issues with the former president and break away from him to return to reasonableness, or continue relying on Trump-style extremism."
Mike Turner, Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee and a Republican representative from Ohio, also said on CBS that he "vehemently" disagreed with former President Trump's remarks and that these comments should naturally be a factor in deciding who will lead the Republican Party in 2024. He said, "I believe people will definitely consider these remarks when evaluating candidates."
Mike Lawler, a Republican House member from New York, criticized former President Trump's remarks on CNN, saying it is time to stop focusing on "grievances from past elections." He said, "The Constitution is meant to protect the rights of all Americans," and added, "If the former president (Trump) runs again, it would be better to focus on the future."
On the other hand, David Joyce, a Republican House member from Ohio, appeared to defend Trump when asked by ABC's This Week whether he would oppose those supporting the termination of the Constitution (Trump). He said, "He (Trump) says a lot, but that does not mean it will actually happen." Kevin McCarthy, who is set to become the next House Speaker, remained silent when asked for comment.
The article that Twitter restricted was a report from the conservative-leaning New York Post. The outlet reported that three weeks before the election, in October 2020, a video was found at a computer repair shop in Delaware, Ohio, showing a person presumed to be Hunter Biden snorting cocaine and engaging in sexual acts with an unidentified woman, along with a laptop suggesting that the head of a Ukrainian energy company that hired Hunter as an executive had met with then-candidate Biden.
At the time, Twitter blocked users from sharing the news, citing unclear sources. In response, Musk shared the 'Twitter Files' including this content the previous day, revealing that there had been internal controversy and opposition. However, local media reported that there was no evidence that the Democratic Party was directly involved.
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