CNN’s Tara Setmayer: Former Trump Critics Who Now Work For Him Are ‘Cowards’ Who Sold Their Souls
Appearing on Monday night’s broadcast of CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, CNN political commentator Tara Setmayer reacted to revelations that newly-minted Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney called President Donald Trump a “terrible human being” during the final days of the 2016 presidential election. The panel discussion revolved around Mulvaney and other Trump administration officials and allies who were vocal critics of the president prior to his election but have since changed their tunes.
Transcript
DON LEMON (ANCHOR): So a lot of top officials in the Trump administration and some of his allies on Capitol Hill did not always have flattering things to say about the president and they weren’t shy about expressing their negative feelings very publicly. Let’s discuss now. Dan Pfeiffer is here. Alice Stewart. Tara Setmayer. Good to see you. Tara and Alice were actually part of a lot of those panels when I played the soundbites. Tara, you were sitting with Kellyanne [Conway].
And you were also on my show as well. You are a Republican. You have stood firm with your characterization of this president. What do you make of all these folks changing their tunes now that they are working for the administration?
SETMAYER: I think they’re all cowards. Either they were lying then or they’re lying now. So I think that they’re probably — they’ve sold — they made a decision to sell their souls in order to have access to power. And I find that to be terribly dishonest. And look at what it’s created. Look where it’s gotten us. It’s destroying the Republican Party from the foundation. It’s fundamentally changed so many aspects of what we were supposed to believe as conservatives. I mean, if you were an alien that came to this planet right now and saw what Republicans were, you’d be like what is this? These people have completely thrown out almost every principle that we stood on as conservatives.
LEMON: And you know what they said about him behind the scenes —
SETMAYER: Absolutely!
LEMON: — and they do now.
SETMAYER: Correct.
LEMON: Except it’s different when the cameras roll. Go on.
SETMAYER: Specifically some folks that we saw in those clips, you know, I’ve had dinner with them where they’ve disparaged Donald Trump up and down left and right and yet, now, they’re sitting next to him and are some of his biggest proponents. It’s despicable. This is why people hate politics. And the level of dishonesty and just the hypocritical nature of it all has disgusted me. And I understand why so many of my other Never-Trumpers have decided to leave the Republican Party. I get it. Because it’s unrecognizable now because of people like this. But somebody has to stand by and hold them accountable. So that’s the only reason why I stay.
Watch the clip above, via CNN.
