In a recent interview with Connell McShane, Republican presidential hopeful, Will Hurd, a former Texas representative, made a bold comment, claiming that former President Donald Trump is running for president again not to “Make America Great Again” but to “stay out of prison.”
Hurd didn’t mince words when he declared, “The problem that I have with Donald Trump is, Donald Trump is not running for president to Make America great again. He’s running for president to stay out of prison.” This shocking statement adds fuel to the already intense political atmosphere revolving around Trump’s potential candidacy for the 2024 presidential race.
Moreover, Hurd alleged that Trump is seizing credit for policy ideas championed by prominent Republicans like House Speaker, Paul Ryan, and former Representative, Kevin Brady. According to Hurd, Trump is taking credit for accomplishments such as the 2017 GOP tax cut law to improve his public image. Hurd propounds the collaborative efforts of individuals like Ryan and Brady in molding policies that are attributed to the powering up of the economy during Trump’s presidency. He asserted, “And so these were some of the people that helped make sure our economy…was strong when Donald Trump was in office.”
As per The Hill , when questioned about the impact of his own presidential campaign on fellow Republican candidates, Hurd affirmed his support to the eventual GOP nominee in 2024, He asserted, “I’m clear, I’ve been supportive of that philosophy and recognize that if we want to make sure that we have a GOP nominee that can beat Joe Biden and address issues, like problems at the border, we’ll potentially need to consolidate.”
These comments from Hurd come on the heels of hurdles faced by Trump due to legal reasons. Last month, Trump and 18 of his associates were indicted by a Georgia grand jury for their roles in attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump faces a total of 3 indictments this year related to business dealings, handling classified documents, and his conduct following the 2020 election. The timing of Hurd’s truth bombs seems to align with Trump’s choice to skip the second Republican presidential debate, opting instead to deliver a speech in Detroit amidst the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike.
Hurd, intending to qualify for the debate stage, mentioned that he is only 31 donors away from meeting the required 50,000 donor threshold. In a CNN interview, Hurd responded to a report pointing out that Trump’s legal team may be responsible for a voting system breach in Georgia in January 2021. Hurd asserted, “I think this is an example of how this is not about the First Amendment, This is about a president trying to overturn an election and creating a conspiracy,” according to The Guardian .
He continued, “To me, it’s an indication of how fragile our election system is, and how Donald Trump’s efforts were making us increase our lack of trust in our systems. And [it is] one more example of why Donald Trump is running for president: because he’s trying to stay out of jail. Because as more of this information comes out and as the American people recognize the extent of his baggage, they’re getting sick and tired of it.”