Kelly Ayotte Won’t Say If She Regrets Her Trump Flip-Flop
Kelly Ayotte Won’t Say If She Regrets Her Trump Flip-Flop
In an interview with CloseUp on WMUR this weekend, former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte refused to say whether she regretted her infamous decision to un-endorse Donald Trump — even as she reaffirmed that as of now, she plans to support Trump in this year’s election.
WATCH:
WMUR’s Adam Sexton: “I’ve talked to a lot of grassroots Trump supporters, and they want to revisit this issue… when you withdrew your endorsement over the Access Hollywood tape. They want to know, do you regret doing that?”
Ayotte: “Well, I have to say, um, you know, as I look at this presidential race, were we better off four years ago, and there’s no question we were better off under President Trump…”
Sexton: “…But do you regret having done what you did in 2016?”
Ayotte: “You know, Adam, I certainly appreciate that where we are as a country right now, it’s important that we have new leadership… there’s no doubt for me that where we are, we need new leadership and the contrast between the two administrations, the choice is clear in this race.”
While Ayotte now says “there’s no question that [Trump is] the right choice,” in 2016, she claimed, “I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women.”
Ayotte could not even stand by that pledge for a year. After losing her election, Ayotte was “honored” to serve as the “sherpa” for Trump’s first Supreme Court nominee, helping to stack the court with the extremist justices who would ultimately overturn Roe v. Wade, a long-time goal of both Ayotte’s and Trump’s.
Ayotte hasn’t been able to escape criticism from her fellow Republicans for her flip-flop-flipping, though. Chuck Morse, Ayotte’s primary opponent, called on her to tell Granite Staters who she voted for in the state’s first-in-the-nation primary, and has increased his attacks on her record in recent weeks, prompting the NHGOP to beg their candidates to stop fighting.
“Gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte’s own worst enemy is Kelly Ayotte, circa 2016,” said DGA States Press Secretary Emma O’Brien. “It’s no wonder Ayotte has spent most of the past year hiding from voters and press – every time she does make an appearance, she reminds Granite Staters of all the ways they can’t trust her, from flip-flop-flipping on Donald Trump to flagrantly lying about her yearslong campaign alongside Trump to overturn Roe and strip New Hampshire women of their reproductive freedom.”
See below for more on Ayotte’s “tortuous” history with Trump, which many say cost her the election in 2016:
- Kelly Ayotte Endorses Trump for President
- “Silent in the Shadows.” Republicans Slam Ayotte for Refusing to Say Who She Voted for in the Primary
- Kelly Ayotte? More Like Kelly Say-Not (Who She’s Voting For in New Hampshire’s First-in-the-Nation Primary)
- #TBT: Seven Years Later, Craven Kelly Still Trying to Have it Both Ways With Trump
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