(NewsNation) — Republican presidential candidates are attacking former President Donald Trump by saying he’s selfish and unfit for office, but Trump spokeswoman Liz Harrington says the opposite is true.
“This whole field is full of self-serving political hacks,” Harrington said of Trump’s primary opponents Wednesday on “The Hill on NewsNation.”
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence both took swipes at Trump in their announcements this week. Christie called Trump a “mirror hog” and Pence said his former boss was “reckless” on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of violent protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Christie, Pence and the other Republican primary contenders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, all say it’s time to move on from Trump after three election cycles of disappointing performances.
However, Trump is leading in the polls by as much as 30 points.
“Clearly the voters want President Trump to be our nominee. They want President Trump back in the White House to bring peace and prosperity like he had under his historic first term,” Harrington said. “The voters are tired of hypocritical establishment politicians who go where the wind blows and who are only in it for themselves or own personal ambition.”
Since leaving the White House, Pence has notably been critical of Trump’s effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He has said Trump put his vice president’s life in danger during the Capitol riots.
“Jan. 6 was a tragic day in the life of our nation. But thanks to the courage of law enforcement, the violence was quelled, and we reconvened the Congress the very same day, to complete the work of the American people under the Constitution of the United States,” Pence said Wednesday in Iowa during his announcement speech. “On that fateful day, President Trump’s words were reckless. They endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol.”
Harrington said Jan. 6 is when the relationship between Trump and Pence soured.
“He had every right to send (the votes) back to the states,” Harrington claimed.
Pence said at the time, and has maintained, the Constitution did not authorize him to reject Electoral College votes. There has been no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
