Like many Americans, I've been concerned about former President Donald Trump's call for the "termination" of the United States Constitution. Having spent nearly five years working in The Library Company of Philadelphia--used by the framers of the document-- the Constitution holds a spot in my heart.
Here in South Dakota, both US senators have spoken against Trump's declaration.
Seth Tupper reports in the South Dakota Searchlight article, Rounds criticizes Trump’s call for ‘termination’ of the Constitution:
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, is criticizing former president Donald Trump for proposing the “termination” of the U.S. Constitution.
Rounds issued a written statement by email Monday afternoon.
“Americans have a deep appreciation for the Constitution and our Founding Fathers who risked their lives to establish it,” Rounds’ statement said, in part. “As elected officials, we take an oath to support and defend the Constitution. We should never dishonor that oath. No one is above the Constitution.”
Rounds was reacting to Trump’s Saturday post on Trump’s own social media platform, Truth Social. In that post, Trump reiterated his claims of fraud in the 2020 election: “A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
After widespread condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans, Trump went on Truth Social again Monday and wrote, “The Fake News is actually trying to convince the American People that I said I wanted to ‘terminate’ the Constitution. This is simply more DISINFORMATION & LIES, just like RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, and all of their other HOAXES & SCAMS.”
Rounds has consistently said there was no evidence of fraud in 2020 that was widespread enough to alter the results of the election, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden. Rounds reiterated that stance in his Monday statement and included some language about the next presidential election in 2024, which already includes Trump as a declared candidate on the Republican side.
“Anyone who desires to lead our country must commit to protecting the Constitution. They should not threaten to terminate it,” Rounds said. “I believe Americans want leaders, like those on Mount Rushmore, who will defend the Constitution and unite us in our belief that America is truly a shining city upon a hill.”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, said Thune fielded impromptu questions Monday afternoon from reporters in a Washington, D.C., hallway about Trump’s call for “termination” of the Constitution.
“Of course I disagree with that,” Thune said of Trump’s comments. “I swear an oath to uphold the Constitution and it is a bedrock principle — it is the principle, the bedrock of our country. So I couldn’t disagree more.”
Spokespeople for U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, and Republican Gov. Kristi Noem did not immediately respond to Searchlight questions about Trump’s comments.
Here's hoping South Dakotans hear from Johnson and Noem about Trump's position soon.
This article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Help South Dakota Searchlight with a donation here.
Photo: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, speaks during a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo Sarah Silbiger-Pool/Getty Images/ via South Dakota Searchlight).
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