Republican presidential candidate and former Rep. Will Hurd (Texas) said former President Trump’s arraignment could be his election downfall, calling on voters to reject the race’s leading candidate.
“The fact that a former president is in our nation’s capital, in front of a judge, having to plead in a contest about trying to overturn an election is just outrageous. I’m like most Americans. I’m upset, I’m annoyed, I’m pissed,” Hurd said in a CNN interview Thursday.
Hurd added that U.S. allies abroad are worried about the country’s leadership and that leaders in China and Russia are laughing at the U.S.
“But here’s the great thing. We can do something about this. I don’t want the folks that are watching your show to be concerned or scared or upset about the fact that Donald Trump has a lead right now,” Hurd said.
“We have a chance to say enough is enough and defeat him in an election. … Let’s not get afraid about this lead that he has right now. It’s only a snapshot in time, and for those of us that are sick and tired and angry that Donald Trump is running for president in order to stay out of jail, let’s do something about it. It’s within our hands.”
Trump was arraigned Thursday on four federal charges alleging that the former president attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He has previously been indicted twice: once in a New York state case over hush money payments and a second time in a federal investigation alleging that he mishandled classified documents.
A separate Georgia probe into Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election in that state is expected to conclude in the coming weeks, raising the possibility of a fourth indictment.
Hurd is one of Trump’s prominent critics in the presidential primary, though his candidacy has gained little steam since he joined the field in June. National polling averages show him with less than a half percent support.