Zeldin has all but endorsed Trump at this point
As Trump kicks off his New York campaign tour with a rally on Long Island tonight, it serves as a reminder that No-Show Lee Zeldin has lavished praise on Trump and his dangerous (and unpopular) views that put down women and make America less safe.
When Trump made a swing through Washington to court lawmakers last fall, Zeldin “broadly praised Trump’s positioning on foreign policy.” According to the ABC News piece, Zeldin even embraced Trump’s reckless rhetoric, noting that “Americans want candid, brutally honest, sometimes politically incorrect leadership.”
Last month, Zeldin committed to supporting Trump as the nominee. He also added his opposition to backing a new nominee who did not go through the primary process, telling Newsday, “I will never be able to endorse a nominee for president whose name is not known.”
Zeldin’s praise is in stark contrast to his fellow Long Island Republican colleague, Peter King, who told Newsday that he is “worried about the implications for the Republican Party if Trump wins the GOP nomination and becomes its leader.” King also said he was also open to a brokered convention in order to pick a nominee other than Trump.
“As Donald Trump makes a campaign swing through Long Island, it serves as a reminder that Congressman Lee Zeldin lavished praise on Trump and his reckless rhetoric and dangerous views that put down women and make our country less safe,” said Bryan Lesswing at the DCCC. “Now that Trump is making a stop right on Zeldin’s Long Island turf, will Zeldin finally prove how out of step he is with the rest of Long Island and finally endorse Trump?”
This isn’t the first time both King and Zeldin have split. At the end of last year, Zeldin took heat for his refusal to back King’s bipartisan effort to keep lethal weapons out of the hands of suspects on the FBI’s Terrorist Watchlist.
Last year, Zeldin’s vote to shut down the Department of Homeland Security prompted a strong condemnation from King, who called the move “wrong politically because we’ll be blamed for shutting down the department” and “wrong morally because we are putting American lives at risk to satisfy a political imperative.
Background on Donald Trump’s Plunging Favorability:
National Support among Republicans: According to a just-released NBC News poll, only 45% of Republican or Republican-leaning voters support Trump.
Women: A Gallup poll last week showed that Trump’s popularity is plunging to all-time lows, with 7 out of 10 women holding unfavorable views of him.
Republican Women: According to a Pew poll, only 38% of Republican women support Trump.
Men: In the same Gallup poll, nearly 6 out of 10 men hold unfavorable views toward Trump.
Millennials: Among millennials (people age 18-34), Trump’s unfavorable rating is nearly 78%, according to a recent CNN poll.
Independents: Among independents, Trump has a 68% unfavorability rating, according to a recent CNN poll.