Donald Trump ‘doesn’t care about the future’ of GOP, says former Mike Pence adviser

Donald Trump “doesn’t care” about the future of the GOP and will only take care of himself and his family, a former aide to former Vice President Mike Pence has said.

Olivia Troye, who served as Pence’s homeland security adviser, said she was baffled to see some Republican figures still “bow” to Trump after his treatment of Pence in the final days of their stay in the White House.

Trump has turned on Pence after the former loyal MP allegedly refused to help him overturn the presidential election results.

Appearing on MSNBC on Saturday, Troye was asked if Republicans would back Pence if he criticizes the former president. She told host Alex Witt that there was “no time like today to take that position.”

“If you want to finally separate yourself from Trumpism and walk away and allow others to maybe come forward with you and empower them to empower them and support them, now is the time,” she said. declared.

“I hope maybe somewhere in Mike Pence’s head that he’s weighing that, but there’s also a careful calculation for him. His life has already been threatened, his credibility, by Trump, has been completely undermined. and destroyed even after his unwavering loyalty for years. “

Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy visited Trump – who remains the party leader – at the former president’s headquarters in Mar-a-Lago, Florida last week.

They are said to have discussed the future of the GOP just a fortnight after McCarthy said Trump “bore responsibility” for the riot on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Trump has been indicted for allegedly inciting the crowd and faces a Senate trial set to begin early next month, when the former president is hoping to find support from Republican lawmakers.

The then president addressed a crowd outside the Capitol, shortly before part of the crowd stormed the building as lawmakers attempted to confirm the electoral college’s votes which confirmed Biden’s electoral victory and Trump’s defeat.

Part of the crowd had been heard singing “Hang Mike Pence,” a line Twitter prevented from following trends. As Pence took refuge from the riots, which left five dead, Trump criticized him on social media.

“That’s why it’s so baffling for me to see these Republicans surrender, fly to Mar-a-Lago and be so loyal to Trump because he’s backfiring on you,” Troye added.

“He’s not loyal, look what he did to Mike Pence. It’s just fascinating to see these Republicans and the Republican Party keep clamoring around him when he clearly doesn’t care about them. . “

The Washington Post linked Trump to the formation of a new political party. The newspaper said Trump told people in his orbit that the threat of such a party would put pressure on Republicans when they vote in his Senate impeachment trial.

“[Trump] doesn’t care about the future of the party, ”Troye said. He is there for his family, he is there for his personal gain. He always has been. “

This is not the first time that Troye has spoken out against Trump in recent weeks.

At the end of December, she expressed her concern “that there will be violence on January 6 because the president himself is encouraging it”.

Last week, the former head of the White House coronavirus task force suggested that she had been told to spy on the group’s coordinator, Dr Deborah Birx.

“She was coming into a no-win situation and even more than I think she even realized. And I was told I had to watch her. That she was not trustworthy because she was an employee of Matt Pottinger, she told MSNBC. .