Sen. Rounds pushes GOP to get 'louder' on false Trump claims

PIERRE, S.D. – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota has been telling radical for the past twelvemonth that the 2020 predetermination was fair, but this week helium did thing fewer different Republicans person dared — archer a nationalist assemblage that.

Now helium wishes much Republicans would articulation him.

Rounds, who is successful his 2nd Senate term, has been telling section newspapers, vigor shows and Rotary clubs successful South Dakota that helium checked retired the allegations of predetermination fraud made by erstwhile President Donald Trump and, portion determination were immoderate “irregularities,” they each came up bare of thing that could antagonistic the information that Trump lost. So, erstwhile ABC News' “This Week” asked the legislator to look connected its Sunday amusement to sermon the Jan. 6, 2020, onslaught connected the Capitol, Rounds said his determination was simple: “Well, of people I will.”

But the backlash from speaking was swift. Rounds said helium wasn't looking to prime a combat with Trump, but that's precisely what happened. The erstwhile president called Rounds a “jerk” successful a statement. Rounds stood by what helium said, and argued determination are galore much Republicans similar him — and they request to talk up.

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“If we privation to support the spot and summation the spot of much individuals that are wondering, we person to astir apt accidental it a small spot louder and successful much places that galore of america usually either aren’t invited to speech oregon person chosen not to get into the fray,” Rounds told The Associated Press successful an interrogation this week.

Rounds got backup aft Trump's onslaught from respective high-profile Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and chap South Dakotan Sen. John Thune, who has had his ain run-ins with Trump. But with the GOP inactive mostly successful the erstwhile president's grip, it's not wide whether Rounds' defiance represents a gaffe successful that grasp oregon whether he's a lonely dependable successful the party.

Republicans person mostly avoided nationalist talk of the deadliest home onslaught connected Congress successful the nation’s history, calling memorials and inquiries into the insurrection “politicized.” And Trump has clung to the conception that the predetermination was stolen from him. In an interrogation Tuesday with National Public Radio, the erstwhile president said it was an “advantage” for Republicans to support alleging fraud and that Rounds was “totally wrong.”

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Some Republicans person disquieted that Trump's attacks volition upwind up hurting the party, depressing turnout by conservatives and damaging them successful aboriginal elections.

That's a constituent Rounds made. He wants to determination connected from Trump's baseless predetermination fraud claims, but not earlier making it wide that Trump mislaid — just and square. He said the enactment risks losing credibility and voters if Trump is allowed to undermine spot successful the antiauthoritarian process.

“We person to beryllium much assertive successful reassuring conservatives that their ballot counts,” Rounds said, adding “to springiness them reassurance that they tin spot america and that we volition talk the truth. And adjacent if it’s the hard information that’s hard to swallow, we’re not going to prevarication to them.”

In South Dakota, the absorption to Trump's onslaught connected Rounds has truthful acold been muted compared to the backlash Thune faced past year erstwhile Trump lashed retired astatine him for saying that the effort to overturn the predetermination would “go down similar a changeable dog” successful the Senate.

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Gov. Kristi Noem, who has aligned herself much intimately with Trump than immoderate different South Dakota politician, said Tuesday she was not alert of the speech betwixt Rounds and Trump. And Jeff Holbrook, the seat of the Pennington County GOP, 1 of the state's largest region parties that held “Stop the Steal” rallies successful enactment of Trump aft the 2020 election, said helium had seen small absorption to Trump's onslaught connected Rounds.

Rounds said helium has heard plentifulness astir the exchange, acknowledging that immoderate absorption was negative, but helium said the “vast majority” was from radical thanking him for speaking up.

Trump jabbed astatine Rounds by saying helium lone had courageousness to marque those remarks due to the fact that helium doesn't look reelection until 2026, and helium pledged that helium would ne'er again endorse Rounds.

Rounds acknowledged that immoderate Republicans facing earlier primaries would not “disappoint a portion of the basal that truly does person a loyalty to the erstwhile president.”

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But helium argued it could beryllium done, pointing to Thune, who precocious mulled status earlier announcing past week helium would question different term. Though Thune has a ample run money and a seemingly wide way to reelection, helium has drawn a fistful of superior challenges from an insurgent radical of conservatives seeking to unseat anyone who hasn't bought into the Trump marque of politics.

“He’s not looking for a fight,” Rounds said of Thune. "He conscionable wants to beryllium honorable with the people.”

One of Thune's challengers, Bruce Whalen, had cautionary words for Rounds.

“He needs to retrieve that South Dakota is predominantly MAGA and determination are conscionable truthful galore aggravated radical retired determination close now,” Whalen said.

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