Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), who has launched a primary bid against President Trump in 2020, blasted the Republican Party on Friday for allowing state parties to cancel primaries and caucuses, calling it “undemocratic BS.”
“This is not North Korea or Russia. Donald Trump is trying to eliminate elections,” Walsh told MSNBC’s Ari Melber.
“He wants to eliminate primary elections right now in four states: Arizona, Nevada, South Carolina and Kansas,” he continued.
“That is undemocratic BS. It’s wrong, and that’s the kind of thing that should piss off Republican voters,” he added.
{mosads}Walsh was a vocal supporter of Trump during his 2016 campaign and in the early part of his presidency but grew increasingly critical of him before announcing his GOP primary challenge.
The former Republican congressman has sought to explain numerous comments he made on Twitter in the past, including calling President Obama a Muslim and other remarks he has conceded were “a little bit racist.”
Melber on Friday played a Fox News clip running down several of Walsh’s controversies, which the former congressman dismissed as the network attempting to protect the president from potential challengers.
“I stopped paying attention to Donald Trump’s sycophants a long time ago. I pay attention to what Trump is doing,” Walsh said.
“Sometimes, Ari, I’m too provocative. I get that,” he added later. “When I step in it, I’ll apologize. Contrast that with this guy in the White House, who purposefully stokes racism and bigotry to divide this country. I’ll run against that any day.”
The Arizona, Kansas, Nevada and South Carolina Republican parties plan to cancel their primaries, according to a Friday Politico report. In addition to Walsh, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld is mounting a long-shot primary challenge to Trump, while former Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) has also suggested he may also launch a primary challenge.