Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), in Sunday interviews, declined to confirm whether they would support former President Trump’s attempt to become the President again.
Rounds, in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” refrained from explicitly backing former President Trump, but did pledge to back the anticipated nominee, who is expected to be Trump at this time.
“What I have said is that Tim Scott was my initial preference. I believed he would be an excellent president. Tim Scott has now supported the former president. What I said is, I will endorse the Republican nominee,” Rounds stated.
“It's a simple choice. Either you want to continue with the current economic policies, or you want to go back to a situation where things are not chaotic and our economy is progressing,” he added.
When CNN’s Dana Bash pushed for a direct endorsement of the former president, Rounds replied, “I am endorsing the Republican nominee for the presidency. And if that’s Mr. Trump, then that’s the best choice of the two choices that we’ve got.”
Cassidy, on the other hand, would not confirm if he would vote for Trump. Cassidy is one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in the impeachment trial following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
“At this point, all I will say is that I plan to vote for a Republican for the presidency of the United States,” Cassidy shared in an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” when questioned about a potential endorsement.
Cassidy reiterated this stance when questioned two more times.
“The response I’ll give, and the response I've consistently given when asked about this on Meet the Press, is that I plan to vote for a Republican for the presidency of the United States,” Cassidy stated, before reiterating this sentiment once more when asked.
