Hurd: Trump only running ‘to stay out of prison’

Republican presidential candidate and former Rep. Will Hurd (Texas) said Monday that former President Trump is only running for president to avoid being incarcerated.

“The problem that I have with Donald Trump is, is Donald Trump’s not running for president to Make America great again. He’s running for president to stay out of prison,” Hurd said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “NewsNation Now with Connell McShane.” 

Hurd also claimed that Trump is taking credit for ideas promoted by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and former Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Tex.), such as the 2017 GOP tax cut law, to bolster his image. 

“And so these were some of the people that helped make sure our economy…was strong when Donald Trump was in office,” Hurd added.

When asked if his presidential campaign is hurting the chances of fellow candidates in the race, Hurd replied that he’ll support whoever becomes his party’s presidential nominee in 2024. 

“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,” Hurd told McShane. 

Hurd’s remarks come a month since after Trump along with 18 of his allies were indicted by a Georgia grand jury on charges tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. 

Trump, who announced his third presidential campaign last November, has been hit with three other indictments this year relating to to his business dealings, handling of classified documents, and his behavioral actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election. 

The second Republican presidential debate is set to take place on Wednesday. Trump will be skipping the debate and will instead deliver a speech in Detroit amid the ongoing United Auto Workers (UAW) strike. 

Hurd said that working on qualifying to appear on the debate stage, noting that he’s 31 donors away from reaching the 50,000 donor threshold.