SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota says he stands by his statement that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, after Trump called his fellow Republican a “jerk” for his comments.
Rounds said he was “disappointed but not surprised” by Trump’s attack.
The senator said his remarks Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” show weren’t new information. He said there was “no evidence of widespread fraud that would have altered the results of the election,” and that Republicans should focus on winning elections.
Trump said Rounds only spoke out because he just won reelection in 2020 “and those are the only ones, the weak, who will break away.”
But, Rounds says “Additionally, Vice President Mike Pence stood his ground, acknowledged President Biden’s victory and acted with integrity. It’s time the rest of us do the same. If you look at the challenges our nation faces today – whether it be inflation, the border crisis or Afghanistan – it’s clear that we are in desperate need of responsible, conservative, disciplined leadership in the White House.”
