Trump ‘Is the Most Powerful Political Figure’ in US: Sen. Tim Scott

Trump ‘Is the Most Powerful Political Figure’ in US: Sen. Tim Scott
President Donald Trump participates in signing an executive order to establish the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) look on at the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, on Dec. 12, 2018. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Jack Phillips
2/17/2021
Updated:
2/17/2021

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) weighed in on the war-of-words between former President Donald Trump and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), noting that Trump has the most sway of any political figure in the United States.

“I still believe that President Trump is the most powerful political figure on either side,” Scott told Fox News on Wednesday. “The news loves President Trump, or they hate President Trump, which gives him plenty of coverage. What we need, in fact, is a unified message from the Republican Party. We don’t need personalities driving your future. The policy positions of President Trump led to the lowest unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, for women in 70 years.”

Without weighing in on McConnell, Scott argued that Trump’s policies are what’s important.

“What we need is more President Trump policies that focused on an inclusive economy, focused on HBCU funding, focused on the lowest tax rates we’ve seen in a generation that led to the fastest increase in employment and in wages at the bottom faster than the top because President Trump’s policy positions literally transformed the American economy,“ Scott said. ”That is what’s at stake in the future. Do we want a private sector driven by economic mobility and opportunity, or do we want a private sector driven by socialism and control from Washington, D.C.?”

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) stands on stage in an empty Mellon Auditorium while addressing the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, on Aug. 24, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) stands on stage in an empty Mellon Auditorium while addressing the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, on Aug. 24, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

On Tuesday evening, Trump released a scathing missive that denounced McConnell’s leadership and argued that Republicans won’t re-capture the Senate majority with the Kentucky Republican at the helm. McConnell previously stated in an opinion article for the Wall Street Journal that Trump was responsible for the loss of two Georgia seats and claimed the former president could face civil or criminal prosecution for the Jan. 6 incident.

McConnell, however, isn’t even close to being as popular as Trump. A slew of recent polls among Republican voters show that Trump is by far the most popular figure in the GOP. Another poll went even further, revealing that a significant number of Republicans would consider joining a Trump-led political party.

“If Trump were to split from the GOP and create his own party, polling suggests he might well create the second largest political party in the country, knocking the GOP down to third place,” Dritan Nesho, CEO and chief pollster at HarrisX, told Hill.TV earlier this week.

Trump, meanwhile, announced he would promote Senate candidates who espouse his agenda, which came after McConnell earlier this month threatened that he wouldn’t support pro-Trump candidates who he described as “not credible.”

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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