Ex-GOP Governor rips ‘dictator’ Trump’s endorsement condition: ‘Scary time for our democracy’

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Christine Todd Whitman, a woman who served as the Republican governor of New Jersey two decades ago, is back in the spotlight once again, and not just for sucking up to Democrats.

Speaking on CNN this Wednesday, the so-called Republican equated former President Donald Trump to a “dictator” for the supposed crime of having conditioned his endorsement of incumbent Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on the governor not endorsing Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

“[I]t is extraordinary he would say what a great governor [Dunleavy] has been for Alaska but if you don’t do exactly what I say and what I want, I am not — you’re not good anymore,” she said.

“And that’s what people ought to take away from this, and be very, very concerned about. If that is the definition of trying to be a dictator, I don’t know what is. It’s — it’s a scary time for our democracy.”

The choice of language seemed quite bizarre to critics given as it’s current President Joe Biden who’s taken to imposing dictator-like mandates on the American people.

Meanwhile, the former president had simply warned in his endorsement that it would be contingent on Dunleavy sticking it to Murkowski, who’s up for reelection next year.

“He has my Complete and Total Endorsement but, this endorsement is subject to his non-endorsement of Senator Lisa Murkowski who has been very bad for Alaska, including losing ANWAR, perhaps the most important drilling site in the world, and much else. In other words, if Mike endorses her, which is his prerogative, my endorsement of him is null and void, and of no further force or effect!” the endorsement reads.

But for some inexplicable reason, this simple enough stipulation triggered schizophrenic-like fear and paranoia from Whitman.

“And as you point out, Poppy, and very rightly, it’s — we ought to be worried and watching closely what is happening down ballot. It’s not just Congress. It’s not just the Senate. It is the governors. It’s the secretaries of states and the attorneys general. It’s important, all the way down to the local level,” she added in her CNN remarks.

It’s not clear why it matters if Trump, who isn’t even in office and thus holds no power over the people at the moment, conditions his endorsements.

FYI, the condition pertaining to Murkowski is likely related to her voting to convict him during the former president’s second trial last February.

Whitman made headlines in 2016 when she accused then-GOP presidential nominee Trump of running “fascist” tactics and endorsed his opponent, former first lady and secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Four years later, the so-called Republican made headlines again when she spoke at the Democrat National Convention in support of current President Biden and once again bashed Trump.

“This isn’t about a Republican or Democrat. It’s about a person, a person decent enough, stable enough, strong enough to get our economy back on track, a person who can work with everyone, Democrats and Republicans, to get things done. Donald Trump isn’t that person. Joe Biden is,” Whitman said.

Listen:

She has in recent years become a staple on CNN and MSNBC, where she’s constantly recruited to trash-talk Trump.

In June, she appeared on CNN to praise Republicans like Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, Susan Collins and Murkowski for standing up to the so-called “cult” around Trump.

Listen:

In September of 2020, she alleged on MSNBC that “tens of thousands” of people had died of the coronavirus because of Trump and shared her fear of what would happen if he were reelected to office.

“We have literally lost tens of thousands of people because this administration did not take this virus seriously at the beginning. And the President just lies about that and we know that,” she said.

“And Mike is right, we know who he is. What terrifies me is the thought of a second term of this president unbridled, with the kind of sycophants that he has in his administration.”

Listen:

At the end of Trump’s presidency, roughly 400,000 Americans had died of the coronavirus. Almost a year later, the death count is up to almost 850,000. Yet Whitman, a supposed Republican, has yet to voice any criticism of the current president …

Vivek Saxena

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