{"id":2329776,"date":"2024-08-23T05:48:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T09:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-conservative-senator-trump-hates-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-23T05:54:30","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T09:54:30","slug":"the-conservative-senator-trump-hates-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-conservative-senator-trump-hates-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"The conservative senator Trump hates &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-conservative-senator-trump-hates-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2329776&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u200b article discusses Senator Bill\u200d Cassidy of Louisiana and his unique position within the Republican Party,\u200d particularly his critical stance towards former President Donald Trump.\u200d Cassidy, known for his independent approach, voted to\u200c convict Trump\u2063 after the \u2064January 6 Capitol riot,\u200c making him one of the few \u200dRepublican\u2063 senators to do so. His vocal criticisms of Trump have included calling \u2062out the former president&#8217;s rhetoric as \u200cdehumanizing and harmful.<\/p>\n<p>While Cassidy\u200d has maintained a relatively favorable voter base\u2014having won\u2064 more\u200d votes\u2063 than Trump in the \u20632020 election\u2014his\u200c future political\u2064 prospects remain uncertain, especially as\u200b Louisiana has shifted to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alaska-conservatives-fight-against-ranked-choice-voting\/\" title=\"Alaska Conservatives Fight Against \u201cRanked Choice&quot; Voting\">closed primary system<\/a> that could \u2062favor more ideologically extreme candidates. Cassidy has not publicly\u200c endorsed Trump\u2063 for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-appears-to-be-a-popular-lead-for-2024-straw-poll-shows\/\" title=\"DeSantis Appears To Be A Popular Lead For 2024, Straw Poll Shows\">upcoming 2024 presidential election<\/a> and has chosen to distance\u2064 himself from the former president, opting out of attending the Republican \u200cNational Convention.<\/p>\n<p>Despite his criticisms, Cassidy continues to have some support from colleagues, who recognize his thoughtful approach to governance. However, the \u2062potential impacts of his\u200c previous votes and critical remarks toward Trump could affect his \u200dre-election chances in 2026,\u200b as the political\u2064 landscape shifts and Trump\u2019s influence remains \u2064significant\u2062 among Republican voters. Ultimately, Cassidy&#8217;s path forward is \u2062fraught with challenges, as he seeks to\u200c balance his principled stances \u2062with the realities\u2064 of party \u200bloyalty and electoral\u200d dynamics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-sacff-txt\">Magazine &#8211; Washington Briefing <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">The conservative senator Trump hates<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1736071\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>At the Capitol recently, news broke that Republican presidential nominee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> had committed yet another blunder.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>On Jan. 31, during the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago, the former president questioned whether Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris<\/a>, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was black rather than Indian. Reporters scurried to find GOP pols for comment, and by 6:07 p.m., a knot of them formed a semicircle around Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-cassidy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Bill Cassidy<\/a> (R-LA), who had walked off the Senate floor into a white marble hall that faces the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) speaks at a 2023 Senate Finance Committee hearing in Washington. (Rod Lamkey\/CNP\/AdMedia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Until 2021, Cassidy may have been best known for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/healthcare\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>healthcare legislation<\/a> he sponsored with fellow Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Lindsey Graham<\/a> (R-SC), a bill that would have repealed Obamacare and returned control of Medicaid to the states. Now Cassidy has a reputation for an independent streak: He has been both a critic of the former president and a dissenter from his agenda.<\/p>\n<p>Cassidy voted to convict Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, one of only seven Republican senators to have done so. He said last year that Trump should drop out of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-desantis-beats-trump-in-2024-straw-poll-at-top-conservative-summit\/\" title=\"BREAKING: DeSantis Beats Trump In 2024 Straw Poll At Top Conservative Summit\">2024 presidential race<\/a>. After Trump described some illegal immigrants as &ldquo;animals&rdquo; in March, Cassidy described Trump&rsquo;s words as &ldquo;dehumanizing&rdquo; on NBC News&rsquo;s <em>Meet the Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>If any conservative Republican senator would criticize Trump, Cassidy would. A practicing gastroenterologist, the 66-year-old is fit and trim with a shock of thick, grey hair, the sort of man whom you can imagine telling the portly Trump to lay off the Big Macs. Yet Cassidy balked.<\/p>\n<p>He insisted he was ignorant of Trump&rsquo;s latest outrage despite that he makes a living partly by being sensitive to public opinion in general and to Trump&rsquo;s in particular. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t seen the full transcript of his remarks, and I would want to see those,&rdquo; Cassidy insisted.<\/p>\n<p>Did Cassidy see Trump&rsquo;s comments?<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t even own a TV,&rdquo; Cassidy protested before he allowed with a nervous chuckle that he wasn&rsquo;t completely cut off from the modern world. &ldquo;The only thing I have is the MLB app, to check baseball scores.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Cassidy&rsquo;s opposition to Trump has not wavered. Last month, he stayed home in the Bayou State instead of attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. He still hasn&rsquo;t endorsed Trump for president, although he said he will vote for whichever Republican appears on the presidential ballot this fall.<\/p>\n<p>Cassidy&rsquo;s brand of opposition to Trump is unique. He hasn&rsquo;t attempted to throw Trump out of the party in the manner of former GOP Reps. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/liz-cheney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Liz Cheney<\/a> and Adam Kinzinger. Nor is he a centrist like fellow Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Susan Collins (R-ME). Instead, Cassidy criticizes Trump on humanitarian grounds: for his enabling of criminal and violent behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has taken notice. &ldquo;One of the worst senators in the United States Senate is, without question, Bill Cassidy,&rdquo; Trump wrote on Truth Social, his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roger-stone-announces-he-will-sue-those-who-arrested-him-and-put-him-in-front-of-a-kangaroo-court\/\" title=\"Roger Stone Announces He Will Sue Those Who Arrested Him and Put Him In Front of a Kangaroo Court\">social media site<\/a>, in April. The former president went on to assail Cassidy as &ldquo;wacky,&rdquo; a &ldquo;stiff,&rdquo; a &ldquo;total flake,&rdquo; and &ldquo;disloyal,&rdquo;&nbsp;even though Cassidy voted with Trump 89% of the time from 2017 to 2021, per <em>FiveThirtyEight<\/em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Cassidy&rsquo;s colleagues, too, have noticed. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what he&rsquo;s known for around here, and that&rsquo;s who he is: He&rsquo;s thoughtful,&rdquo; Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said in an interview at the Capitol on Aug. 1. Collins praised Cassidy for showing &ldquo;a tremendous amount of integrity (in voting to convict Trump). He weighed the facts of the case, and he took a tough vote.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Cassidy&rsquo;s unique brand of opposition to Trump raises two questions. One is, how has Cassidy survived politically? Famously, four of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 were defeated for reelection. Another four House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump and four Senate Republicans who voted to convict him declined to stand for reelection.<\/p>\n<p>The standard answer is Cassidy benefits from favorable political circumstances. He does not have to face voters again for another two years, in 2026, an eternity in American politics. In addition, in Louisiana in 2020, Cassidy earned a higher share of the vote (59.3%) than Trump did (58.5%).<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s tempting to think Cassidy benefited from another favorable political circumstance.<\/p>\n<p>For decades, Louisiana operated a &ldquo;jungle primary&rdquo; in which the two top finishers faced each other in a runoff race unless one candidate racked up more than 50% of the vote. All registered voters, regardless of political affiliation, are eligible to vote. That reduces the power of ideologically minded voters in both parties, including Trump die-hards.<\/p>\n<p>Yet that system will be gone. Earlier this year, Louisiana abolished its jungle primary in favor of a &ldquo;closed primary&rdquo; for certain offices, including Congress, a system that gives partisan die-hards like Trump&rsquo;s larger sway.<\/p>\n<p>Further, Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) enjoyed favorable political circumstances like Cassidy during Trump&rsquo;s second impeachment trial: They were elected in 2020, gained a larger share of the vote than Trump, and ran in states where unaffiliated voters could vote in the primary. Yet both voted to acquit Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Cassidy had toyed with running for governor and shown interest in running on the No Labels presidential ticket last year. Now he is committed to running in 2026, but he faces a tough fight.<\/p>\n<p>Cassidy himself points out that while he got a higher share of the vote in Louisiana than Trump four years ago, Trump got 27,000 more votes overall. John Feehery, a former spokesman for GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert, said he agrees Cassidy&rsquo;s vote to convict Trump could sink his reelection bid. As he wrote in an email, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that the vote &hellip; was very popular in Louisiana and it will hurt him in 2026 should he decide to run again.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In short, Cassidy&rsquo;s vote to convict Trump appears to have been based largely on principle rather than expediency. &ldquo;If I do the right thing, I can live with myself,&rdquo; he said in an interview at the Capitol, a statement hard to imagine Trump or many pols making.<\/p>\n<p>The second question Cassidy&rsquo;s opposition to Trump raises is broader:&nbsp;If Republican senators had followed Cassidy&rsquo;s lead of disciplined, forthright, and principled opposition to Trump, could they have derailed his march to the nomination?<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cassidy himself said &ldquo;yes&rdquo; but declined to elaborate. Collins smiled when asked, but she, too, clammed up. One Senate aide thought the idea intriguing.<\/p>\n<p>If Cassidy fears losing his primary in two years, he has a funny way of showing it. The senator said he expects Trump to win in the fall and to work with him to rewrite the nation&rsquo;s healthcare laws. The scenario may sound far-fetched, but like Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, Cassidy dreams things that never were and asks, why not?<\/p>\n<p><em>Mark Stricherz is a reporter and writer in Washington, D.C.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1736071\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1736071\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Magazine &#8211; Washington Briefing: The Conservative Senator Trump Dislikes**<\/p>\n<p>Recently, news emerged from the Capitol regarding yet another misstep by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. On January 31, at the National Association of Black Journalists&#8217; annual convention in Chicago, the former president raised doubts about Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217;s racial identity, questioning if she was truly black instead of Indian. Reporters quickly sought comments from GOP politicians, and by 6:07 p.m., a group had gathered around Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) as he exited the Senate floor into a marble hall facing the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>Senator Cassidy is known for his independent stance; he has openly criticized Trump and diverged from his agenda. He was one of only seven Republican senators to vote to convict Trump following the January 6 Capitol riot and suggested last year that Trump should withdraw from the 2024 race. After Trump referred to certain illegal immigrants as &#8220;animals&#8221; in March, Cassidy condemned those remarks as &#8220;dehumanizing&#8221; during an appearance on NBC News&#8217;s Meet the Press.<\/p>\n<p>Cassidy\u2019s reputation as a critic of Trump is notable; however, when asked about Trump&#8217;s latest comments, he claimed ignorance despite being attuned to public sentiment. \u201cI haven\u2019t seen the full transcript of his remarks,\u201d he stated while humorously noting that he doesn\u2019t own a television but does use an app for baseball scores.<\/p>\n<p>Despite his ongoing opposition to Trump\u2014evidenced by skipping this year&#8217;s Republican National Convention\u2014Cassidy has not endorsed any candidate for president yet but indicated he would support whichever Republican appears on ballots this fall. His approach differs from other Republicans who have tried to expel Trump or align with centrist views; instead, Cassidy critiques him based on humanitarian grounds related to enabling criminal behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has taken notice of Cassidy\u2019s dissenting voice and labeled him \u201cone of the worst senators\u201d on social media while also calling him \u201cwacky\u201d and \u201cdisloyal.\u201d Interestingly enough, despite voting with Trump 89% of the time between 2017 and 2021 according to FiveThirtyEight data.<\/p>\n<p>Colleagues recognize Cassidy&#8217;s thoughtful nature; Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) remarked on his integrity during discussions about voting against Trump&#8217;s actions. However, questions arise regarding how Cassidy continues politically amidst significant opposition within his party\u2014especially since many Republicans who voted against or impeached Trump faced electoral consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Cassidy benefits politically because he isn\u2019t up for reelection until 2026\u2014a long time in politics\u2014and previously garnered more votes than Trump in Louisiana during their last elections. However, changes like Louisiana\u2019s recent shift away from its jungle primary system could complicate future elections by empowering more partisan voters aligned with Trump&#8217;s base.<\/p>\n<p>While contemplating running for governor or joining a No Labels presidential ticket last year, Cassidy is now focused on running again in two years but acknowledges potential challenges ahead given that although he received more votes than Trump previously overall numbers favored Trump&#8217;s total count.<\/p>\n<p>Some political analysts believe that Cassidy&#8217;s vote against impeachment could jeopardize his reelection chances due to its unpopularity among constituents in Louisiana. Yet it seems clear that Cassidys\u2019 decision stemmed more from principle than political expediency\u2014a rarity among politicians today who often prioritize popularity over integrity.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, there remains speculation about whether if other Republican senators had followed suit with disciplined opposition like Cassidy\u2019s could they have altered Trump&#8217;s trajectory toward nomination? While acknowledging this possibility without elaboration himself\u2014Cassidy maintains optimism about working alongside whatever administration emerges post-election\u2014even envisioning collaboration with a potential President Trump regarding healthcare reform initiatives down the line<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3316,"featured_media":2329777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/WB.Congress-082824.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[4914,4012,3634],"class_list":["post-2329776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-conservative","tag-senator","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/WB.Congress-082824.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2329776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3316"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2329776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2329776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2329777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2329776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2329776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2329776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}