Why are Republicans still supporting Donald Trump? | Anywhere But Washington

there is nobody that can help us more than Trump can I would rather have a Presidential nominee who's not been indicted or who has not been convicted people aren't willing to say something against Trump for fear of losing their party vs the era of trumpism has moved to an even darker phase the former president in legal Peril I am willing to go to jail if that's what it takes and yet he Still Remains the leading Republican candidate for next year's presidential elections the conservative movement is split between a majority loyal to Trump let's go Donald Trump and a minority looking for a way out would you vote for Trump in a general election I don't know and with the party in disarray what will the consequences be as we enter election season this is President Trump's party y thank [Music] you we come to South Carolina one of the early voting primary states where polls say Trump holds a commanding lead we're heading out to meet some people at the Greenville County GOP which is the largest Republican Party in the whole of South Carolina and has been taken over by a far-right trumpist Insurgency its state executive committeeman is Jeff Davis who openly expresses disdain for so-called rhinos ever Headley Rhino centure me meaning Republican in name only hey je Davis you how you doing glad you are here South Carolina Trump country it is Trump country they're reporting South Carolina is between what Teflon and titanium in regards to Trump so which one is it I feel like titanium is a bit stronger than tefon I think it would be titanium though yeah so you got you got a photograph of the two of you together yeah you got the picture with Donald Trump in the rally so she she actually was more excited cuz Laura Trump was there so she's more into the fashion than what the ladies do so I was a fan of Donald Trump from the art of the book The Art of the deal I'm you know Olga's more of a fan of Donald Trump from from The Apprentice although the Republican primary hasn't even started yet most people here Express an undying loyalty to one man and to the many conspiracy theories that surround his candidacy there is nobody in my mind there is nobody that can help us more than Trump can I I do wish the Republican candidates would just get behind him have you read any of the indictments yeah I have not read it personally I have gotten my information from different news sources a number of different new sources my favorite is real America's voice that's my favorite a lot of people are quite disturbed by that all around the world also here Disturbed that he's indicted Disturbed that he still has that level of support despite all of these indictments well because these indictments uh there is nothing in any of these indictments they're indicting them on things that are are perfectly perfectly legal he told him to find him some votes that's what he told him wasn't it oh fine he can say that I mean you know he he he can so what make up votes he didn't say make up V he said find some votes check this check this thing check this thing out I watch the from the Patriot last night and I found out where Hold the Line comes from so that's our new expression we're holding the line they're beautiful are they functional of course they are so you haven't you haven't listened to that tape or read any of the indictments or anything no because I it's not it's there's no benefit to me because the people who are behind it are people I don't trust I don't think he's a criminal criminal I don't think he would hurt our country being attacked by your political adversaries Is Not Unusual I mean it happened to Nelson Mandela it happened to Martin Luther King it happened to Gandhi a lot of people in the country find it quite chilling they find it pretty scary well I'm sure they're all Democrats and rhinos so so you know what do you expect yeah you're asking questions based on a false premise uhhuh so what what what is what is it that you want me yeah I just want to ask a question well do you want the truth yeah you do okay I want to hear what you guys think so so you know you know who is the truth there is one person that is the truth it's Jesus it's okay who said that okay some here are sympathetic to the far right wing of the state Republican party a local Freedom caucus which has pushed some of the harshest local legislation in the country ask you very specifically about one piece of legislation that a number of people in that CAU has backed which is changes to abortion laws here and the idea that women who get abortions should be prosecuted for homicide and could face the death penalty is that something that you supported I do support that I do I support it in the sense of I think we ought to have you know I would like to say South Carolina is the most conservative state in the nation so you would support the death penalty for woman who took an abortion uh I don't know how it would be implemented you know quite frankly that's totalitarianism that's that's going Beyond really anything that exists inside the sort of regular parameters of any Democratic State that's that's totalitarianism I I think people have a choice you have a choice to practice safe sex and and the such so you have a choice you know initially and Donald Trump is the only candidate running for president who you believe will embody those sorts of extremes I think Donald Trump he say those extremes I think what Donald Trump is willing to do is actually speak back speak out against The Establishment right it's extremely dark extremely dark I left with concerns that the group was stifling political debate and in fact a group of outcast conservatives once part of this party have formed their own independent group called the fourth district Republican Club they invited us to come and meet them at local Denny's want to welcome you guys I'm Linda Garner district oh nice to meet you nice meeting you nice meeting I'm yeah how you doing good to see you many here have been committed Republicans for decades a lot of people in this room were very active in the Greenville County Republican party and two years ago uh they got new leadership several of us didn't really feel welcome there that group a little bit too extreme for you um yes a little bit extreme do you think that's a consequence of Donald Trump these guys are very very loyal to him yeah I don't understand why there's the that feeling is there would you vote for Trump in a general election I don't know their actions speak words and a lot of volume so yeah a lot of volume a lot of volume yeah absolutely do appreciate you guys coming and I went on your site today and read some of your Publications and was very impressed oh thank you very much yeah to be a the group had invited a state Republican representative called Jason Elliot to speak he's also the first openly gay person to be elected to the legislature in South Carolina some of those folks in the county GOP here are talking about absolute undying loyalty to Donald Trump the idea that voting for anybody else is essentially disloyal you must feel uncomfortable with that well that's not the way the Republican Party Works and that's not the way uh democracy with a you know a little D works if we were to subscribe to the Viewpoint that it's that we it's disloyal and we need to coordinate somebody we might as well just cancel all the primaries elections are about the future and if we relitigate the 2020 election and uh if we relitigate January 6 the Republicans are going to have a hard time regaining the White House would you still vote for Donald Trump if he the nominee then I'm voting for The nominee of the Republican party so you would still vot for Donald Trump yeah that sentiment was expressed by most people I spoke to here and although this is a staunchly conservative part of the state there are local Democrats trying to change that in the nearby small town of Pickins in an unusual move Trump took over the entire downtown to hold a rally and left the county with almost $40,000 worth of bills the local Democrats are led by Richard bird in Clayborn Linville and they've actually increased their membership in recent years are you ready Richard I'm Richard nice to meet you Richard Democrat on County hi I'm claybour presidential year I tried to compare you know Apples to Apples here presidential year in 16 to uh 2020 and huge increase for us so the Trump era in some respects has kind of bolstered democratic turnout in what is a pretty conservative part of the country well of course you hate to give him credit for for anything except maybe the wrongdoing but yeah I'm sure that's that's been part of it behind the courthouse where he spoke is a war memorial commemorating residents who were killed it's it's really frustrating and it's certainly disrespectful to speak at a place so close to where these County residents are honored do you think there are colleagues of yours on the council and in the county party who are fearful about actually expressing their honest opinions about Donald Trump I think so I think in private I'm able to have open conversations with people that they can have with me that they will not say out loud but I think part of the reason that his um rally here has been paid for and brushed aside is because people aren't willing to say something against Trump for fear of losing their party votes we did not hold Richard Nixon accountable 50 years ago and this is part of what's been wrought as a result of that and if we don't hold this person accountable now I can't even imagine how bad the next iteration of this kind of behavior for this nation and the effects the ripple effect throughout the world will be it's got to be [Music] done my last stop was a drive down to Charleston for a rally with Donald Trump merchandise branded with Trump's mug shot was selling fast that is uh that'll be 140 come on all shirts are 10 bucks y'all Medi come on you act like you a car the Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor green has become a superstar at these events now which are no longer really about the party but about one man and the political and legal chaos that surrounds him and she like Trump is claiming this primary is already over just wanted to ask you some reports saying that you're encouraging the rest of the Republican presidential primary field to drop out the race is that right oh absolutely I think the American people are making it clear that they want president Trump back so the debate's pretty much over if you see hasn't been a single ballot cast in this primary yet though you see all the polling you can ask hey are you guys supporting president Trump president Trump we're at a trump rally so one would expect that basically your position that this party is Trump's party there's no room for debate no room to discussion this is President Trump's party yep thank you that's my president yeah let's go Donald Trump but we're going to win that primary big you know we won the state twice by record numbers it's not really my job as a journalist to predict the outcome of Elections but during my time in South Carolina I've seen very little evidence that anybody else has much of a chance of securing the nomination here a lot of people are now saying the Republican party's essentially become a personality around Donald Trump it's becoming increasingly hard to find any evidence suggest to the country thank you South Carolina thank [Music] you thank you very much everybody see you soon get out in thank you God bless you all godess

Channel: The Guardian

Views: 1,111,274

Keywords: Conservatives, Donald Trump, Donald Trump video, MAGA, Politics, Republican presidential primary 2024, Republican primaries, Republicans, South Carolina, Trump, Trump arrested, Trump criminal charges, Trump indictments, Trumpism, US elections, US politics, US presidential election 2024, gdnpfpnewspolitics, gdnpfpnewsworld, news, potus, president of the united states, republican, united states, united states news, us news, world

Id: hY68idKVKx0

Length: 12min 38sec (758 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 06 2023