Republican lawmakers are galvanized for 2024 after former President Trump’s win in the Iowa caucuses this week.
Now, some GOP members of Congress are calling on the remaining Republican presidential candidates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, to drop out of the race.
“I thought it was great,” Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden told Fox News Digital.
NEW HAMPSHIRE GOP PRIMARY A 2-PERSON RACE BETWEEN TRUMP AND HALEY, NEW POLL INDICATES
“It’s time to coalesce behind President Trump,” Van Orden continued. “And [I] respect Nikki Haley and Gov. DeSantis a lot, but they’ve got to do the right thing: step out of the race and support President Trump, because we’ve got to do this collectively.
Indiana GOP Rep. Jim Banks, who is running for Senate, said Trump’s victory was a “landslide” and that the former president “won by the largest margin that anyone has ever won the Iowa Caucus before.”
“It should be a wake-up call to any other Republican candidates who are still in the race and any holdouts all over the country,” Banks said.
“Donald Trump is going to win every single state, and he will be the Republican nominee, and Republicans need to get behind it,” he continued.
Banks said that at “this point, it’s a binary choice: You’re either for Donald Trump or you’re for Joe Biden” and that Republicans “have to do everything we can to help Donald Trump beat Joe Biden to save our country in November.”
“Now is the time to do it,” Banks said. “Get behind him now. Drop out of the race if you’re still in the race; back him if you haven’t backed him yet.”
“Get behind him. He’s our best shot to save the country and beat Joe Biden,” he said.
Tennessee GOP Rep. Tim Burchett said Trump “dominated” in Iowa and that he “figured he would.”
“Every debate, everyone says, ‘Who won?’ and I say, ‘President Trump,’” Burchett said Wednesday. “… He’ll be the party’s nominee, no question.”
Burchett said DeSantis or Haley dropping out is “up to them” but noted he doesn’t “know why they’d stay in it at this point, unless they’re trying to get their points on some issues in his … radar.”
Other GOP lawmakers lauded Trump’s win, including Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who said Trump’s victory was “great” and that the large margin of victory “doesn’t surprise us.”
“I think it goes well for us going into New Hampshire and moving on to Super Tuesday, too,” Mullin said.
“I think the race is going to be pretty over before long,” Mullin said. “We all expected it, but the showing in Iowa came out so strong it codified it.”
Mullin said the Iowa caucuses results for Trump show an appetite to return to the former president’s policies and a dissatisfaction with the current White House resident.
Florida Reps. Matt Gaetz and Anna Paulina Luna, both Republicans, also weighed in on Iowa, with Gaetz calling it a “big victory” for Trump and saying he’s “proud” of him.
“Time to bring our party together and make sure we whoop the Democrats,” Gaetz said.
Luna said Trump “crushed it” in Iowa and called it “the largest recorded victory” at the famous caucuses.
“Look, I’ve always been a staunch supporter of President Trump. I think we need to consolidate around him, so why not?” Luna responded when asked if she believes the other GOP presidential candidates should drop out of the race.
“Anyone but Nikki Haley, that woman is terrible,” Luna added.
Haley’s campaign pointed to the candidate’s Tuesday comments on “Fox & Friends” where she said “70% of Americans” don’t want a rematch between Trump and Biden in response to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital reached out to DeSantis’ campaign for comment.
