United States. Even ousted from Facebook, Trump cements influence over Republicans

Despite the maintenance of son interdiction sur Facebook, Donald Trump wanted to show his influence on Republicans on Wednesday by harassing, in a barrage of communiqués, one of his party’s few critical elected officials and reiterating his accusations of election fraud.

Despite his loss to Joe Biden in 2020 and a second infamous impeachment procedure, unleashed after the murderous assault on the Capitol by protesters proTrump, the stormy billionaire remains very popular with Republican voters. And he knows it.

Deprived of social networks since this attack, it is through press releases that the former president attacked several big Republican names: the leader of the minority in the Senate Mitch McConnell and Liz Cheney, one of the few parliamentarians of his party for voting in favor of his impeachment for “Incitement to insurgency”. Daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, she represents one of the few moderate voices within the party and continues her offensive against Trump.

History is watching us. We must decide whether we are going to choose truth and fidelity to the Constitution or join Trump’s crusade to delegitimize and undo the legal outcome of the 2020 election, with all the consequences that might have. https://t.co/K8IAaZyawu

— Rep. Liz Cheney (@RepLizCheney) May 5, 2021

With all his weight as a former president, the real estate mogul called for her to be removed from her position as number three Republicans in the House of Representatives, to replace her with a young pro-Trump elected official, Elise Stefanik.

“Liz Cheney is a warmonger fool who has nothing to do with the Republican Party hierarchy”Donald Trump wrote, adding that he wanted defensive leaders “From the Restoring America to Greatness movement” and “America’s values ​​first”.

Cheney in trouble

Donald Trump never explicitly conceded his defeat in the presidential election of November 3, 2020 to Joe Biden.

Despite the repeated failures of his legal actions, he had maintained the myth of massive electoral fraud until January 6, when Congress had to certify the victory of his Democratic rival.

Gathered that day in Washington to listen to him, some of his supporters then launched an assault on the Capitol.

Social networks reacted quickly after the attack, suspending the billionaire’s accounts.

Facebook’s supervisory board, whose decisions are binding, ruled on Wednesday that the former White House tenant “Had created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible”.

36-year-old Elise Stefanik voted that same day in Congress against the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in several key states.

After a vigorous impeachment trial in February in Congress, Donald Trump was acquitted. Only a handful of Republicans had voted against him. Including Liz Cheney.

It « continue » to affirm “Stupidly that there was no electoral fraud”, thundered the real estate mogul on Wednesday, “When in fact the evidence […] demonstrate the contrary “.

Donald Trump’s announcement of support for his rival comes as an internal vote on his retention in the number three post could come as early as next week, when Republican parliamentarians, on vacation, return to Washington.

Republican House leaders Kevin McCarthy, number one, and Steve Scalise, number two, have already claimed this week that Liz Cheney no longer has parliamentary group support.

“Mini-revolution”

While Mitch McConnell carefully avoids commenting on the ex-president’s attacks, the Wyoming elected official asserted that Donald Trump, who is fondling the idea of ​​running for office in 2024, should not “Play a role in the future of our party, or the country”.

In stark contrast, pro-Trump Republicans regularly court the billionaire at his home in Florida. Latest: Ted Cruz, who posted a photo of the two men on Tuesday evening, smiles on his lips.

Faced with these divisions, Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the Republicans were “In the midst of a kind of mini-revolution”.

“Looks like the Republican Party is trying to define what its values ​​are”, ruled the Democratic president from the White House.

Soundboard

To give voters the information “Coming directly from Donald J Trump’s office”, the former president this week launched a site with his press releases.

But his impact remains far from the immense sounding board he found on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.“Let’s be clear, if you’re Trump and you want to be influential in 2022 and […] maybe introduce yourself in 2024, it is better to be on social networks », says Joshua Tucker, professor at New York University.

And according to Emerson Brooking, a disinformation specialist at the Atlantic Council, a think tank, his ban on posting messages on social media “Has, in fact, removed a certain crucial link between the fringes of the extreme right and republican orthodoxy”.

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