Joe Walsh, one of the few Republicans mounting a presidential challenge to President Trump, said he will not vote to re-elect the president if his bid for the GOP's 2020 nomination fails.
"Hell no," Walsh told Cheddar on Thursday. "I'm running because I think he is unfit and I think he is a danger to this country. I could never support that."
Walsh, a former Congressman from Illinois and conservative radio host, launched his campaign last month by trying to make the case that Trump is uniquely and morally unfit to lead the nation. His bid, however, is widely seen as quixotic given the strong support for Trump among Republican voters and the GOP establishment. Several polls put Trump's approval ratings among Republicans as high as 80 to 90 percent.
Yet Walsh, who was elected to Congress as a staunch Tea Party Republican and was an ardent supporter of Trump in 2016, said the president is "destroying in the Republican brand" with his rash behavior — and that support for him endures simply because there is no Republican alternative.
"This guy in the White House lies almost every time he opens his mouth. He's cruel, he's bigoted — he's just mean," Walsh said.
Critics note, however, that Walsh largely came to right-wing prominence peddling conspiracy theories and making bigoted comments himself. Most notably, his repeated false claims that former President Obama is Muslim and was not born in the U.S. On New Years Eve in 2016, for instance, Walsh tweeted "Obama is a Muslim. Happy New Year!"
Walsh has also routinely attacked organizations like Black Lives Matter, defended the use of homophobic slurs, and has been criticized for fanning the flames — and inciting violence — around cultural sensitivities.
In 2016, after several police officers were killed in Dallas, Texas by an African American gunman, Walsh tweeted "This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you." The tweet was quickly deleted but sparked shock and outrage. Months later, when Walsh supported then-candidate Trump, he tweeted that "if Trump loses, I'm grabbing my musket. You in?"
Walsh has since apologized for his lengthy list of bigoted and controversial remarks, including the racist comments about Obama. He also told MSNBC last month that "I wouldn't call myself a racist, but ... I've said racist things on Twitter. There's no doubt about it."
Walsh has also ceded that his language — especially his rhetoric on Twitter — mirrored that of Trump and his ilk; and sowed resentment into certain voting blocks that contributed to Trump's electoral victory. Yet the difference between Trump and himself, Walsh has said, is that he has apologized.
Walsh is joined by former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld and former South Carolina Congressman Mark Sanford in challenging Trump in the upcoming Republican primary. All three candidates argue that Trump is particularly unqualified to occupy the Oval Office.
"Every day and week that goes by, this president proves more and more that he is unfit and I think Republican voters will welcome a primary challenge," Walsh said.
Walsh and the other candidates, however, faces significant hurdles to beating Trump. Republican officials in several states this week — South Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, and Kansas — canceled their primaries altogether. Foregoing the elections, which proponents and Trump say will save the GOP money, will result in the state's delegates automatically going to Trump.
"We're going to fight it with everything we've got … This kind of thing cannot stand in America," Walsh said regarding the canceled primaries, which he said disenfranchises Republican voters.
Trump on Monday dismissed his challengers, saying "I don't even know who they are ... I guess it's a publicity stunt."
In February, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Representative Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y. 16th District) introduced the Fair College Admissions for Students Act. The bill looks to curb the admissions advantage given to the children of alumni and donors for colleges and universities. Sen. Merkley joined Cheddar news to discuss the push behind the legislation. "My dad was a mechanic. I was applying to schools around the country. I never thought about the fact that those students who came from the most privileged backgrounds also got a special advantage in applying to college," he said. "They take up 10-25 percent of the slots at many of our universities, and so this is kind of affirmative action for those who need it least rather than a level playing field for everyone else." If enacted, the law would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 doing away with legacy or donor status admissions for any school participating in the federal student aid program.
Nancy Daoud, a private wealth adviser for Ameriprise Financial, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she discusses what led to a sharp spike on Wall Street during Tuesday's session and what she will be watching for most closely when the Fed announces it latest policy decision on Wednesday.
Russia's economy is effectively at a standstill after it was slapped with extensive western sanctions, and now it has to make the first of four monthly interest payments on dollar bonds. It's likely the country will not be able to pay — so what happens next? Major credit ratings agencies have downgraded Russian sovereign debt, with Fitch issuing a 'C' rating and S&P Global Ratings issuing a 'CCC-' rating. Caleb Silver, Editor in Chief of Investopedia, joins Closing Bell to discuss what a Russian debt default could mean for Russia's economy, U.S. consumers who have pensions with exposure to Russian assets, and whether this could create a global financial crisis.
With the number of Ukrainians being displaced due to the Russian invasion surging, two students from Harvard took it on themselves to develop a website to help connect potential hosts with refugees seeking housing. The co-founder of the website Ukraine Takes Shelter, Marco Burstein, joined Cheddar news to discuss working together with fellow freshman Avi Schiffmann to streamline the effort to aid Ukrainian refugees. "We basically worked for three days straight developing the website, and since then the response has been pretty incredible," Burstein said.
Over three weeks ago, WNBA player Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia on drug charges. According to reports, the Star arrived at an airport near Moscow where authorities found Vape cartridges and hashish oil in her luggage. Grindr faces serious charges that could carry a possible sentence of 5-10 years in a Russian prison. Experts warn that Griner's arrest could be used as a bargaining chip. Partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, Thomas Firestone, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
On a live broadcast, an employee on a Russian state news television channel held up a sign protesting propaganda about the war in Ukraine. Ruslan Deynychenko, executive director of the Ukrainian fact-checking organization StopFake, joined Cheddar News to discuss what he called the misinformation spread to the Russian people about the invasion. "They are not about informing people they are about brainwashing people," he said. "Russian government uses their media as an instrument, as a tool, of their foreign policy."
Student loan payments for millions of borrowers are set to resume on May 1st. However, signals from the Department of Education show that the date may be pushed back. Once again, it's been pushed back a few times. Initially, the Biden Administration stated loan payments would resume as the economy continues to show signs of recovery. Student Loan Expert and Author of "How to Appeal for More College Financial Aid", Mark Kantrowitz, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
