Republican lawmakers are galvanized for 2024 after former President Trump's victory in the Iowa caucuses this week.
Now, some Republican members of Congress are calling on the remaining GOP presidential candidates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, to drop out of the race.
“I thought it was cool,” Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden told Fox News Digital.
NEW HAMPSHIRE GOP PRIMARY A 2-PERSON RACE BETWEEN TRUMP AND HALEY, NEW POLL INDICATES
Some Republican lawmakers are calling on the remaining GOP presidential candidates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, to drop out of the race. (Getty Images)
“It's time to unite behind President Trump,” Van Orden continued. “AND [I] I have a lot of respect for Nikki Haley and Governor DeSantis, but they have to do the right thing: get out of the race and support President Trump, because we have to do this collectively.
Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks, who is running for Senate, said Trump's victory was “landslide” and that the former president “won by the largest margin of anyone who has ever won before in the Iowa Caucus.”
“It should be a wake-up call to any other Republican candidates still in the race and to those holdouts across the country,” Banks said.
“Donald Trump is going to win every state and be the Republican nominee, and Republicans need to get behind him,” he continued.
Banks said that at “this point, it's a binary choice: You're either for Donald Trump or you're for Joe Biden” and that Republicans “have to do everything we can to help Donald Trump beat Joe Biden to save our country in November.”
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., called on DeSantis and Haley to drop out. (Fox News Digital/Elizabeth Elkind)
“Now is the time to do it,” Banks said. “Get behind him now. Drop out of the race if you're still in the race; back him if you haven't already backed him.”
“Support him. This is our best chance to save the country and beat Joe Biden,” he said.
Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett said Trump “dominated” in Iowa and that he “thought he would.”
“In every debate, everyone asks, 'Who won?' and I say, 'President Trump,'” Burchett said Wednesday. “…He will be the party's candidate, without a doubt.”
Burchett said whether DeSantis or Haley leave is “up to them,” but noted that he doesn't “know why they would stay at this point, unless they're trying to get their points on some issues on their…radar.”
Other Republican lawmakers praised Trump's victory, including Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who said Trump's victory was “big” and that the large margin of victory “doesn't surprise us.”
“I think it's good for us to go to New Hampshire and get to Super Tuesday as well,” Mullin said.
“I think the race will be over in no time,” Mullin said. “We all expected it, but the performance in Iowa was so strong that it codified it.”
Mullin said the Iowa caucus results for Trump show an appetite for a return to the former president's policies and a dissatisfaction with the current resident of the White House.
Florida Reps. Matt Gaetz and Anna Paulina Luna, both Republicans, also weighed in on Iowa, with Gaetz calling it a “huge victory” for Trump and saying he's “proud” of him.
Other Republican lawmakers praised Trump's victory, including Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who said Trump's victory was “big” and that the large margin of victory “doesn't surprise us.” (Representative Mullin's Office)
“It's time to unite our party and make sure we applaud Democrats,” Gaetz said.
Luna said Trump “crushed it” in Iowa, calling it “the biggest victory on record” in the famous caucuses.
“Look, I've always been a strong supporter of President Trump. I think we need to consolidate around him, so why not?” Luna responded when asked if he thinks the other Republican presidential candidates should drop out of the race.
“Anyone but Nikki Haley, that woman is terrible,” Luna added.
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Haley's campaign highlighted the candidate's comments Tuesday on “Fox & Friends,” where he said that “70% of Americans” don't want a Trump-Biden rematch in response to a Fox News Digital query.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the DeSantis campaign for comment.
