Trump's help wanted plea: Ex-president seeks Republicans to knock off 'RINO' incumbents

45th president is soliciting recruits to mount primary challenges to targeted GOP incumbents who have incurred his wrath for voting to impeach him after Jan. 6, voting for the recently passed infrastructure bill — or both.

By Daniel Wattenberg

Published: November 13, 2021 11:43pm

Updated: November 14, 2021 10:31am

Are you a "good and SMART America First Republican Patriot?"

If so, you might be just the person former President Donald Trump is seeking for the 2022 election.

Trump on Saturday put out a solicitation for recruits to mount primary challenges to more than a dozen incumbent Republicans who have incurred his wrath for voting to impeach him after the Jan. 6 Capitol breach or voting for the recently passed Democrat-backed infrastructure bill in the House — or both.

Trump's political hit list comprises 16 targets in total, 15 House members and one Senator, Lisa Murkowski, irreverently dubbed the "Disaster from Alaska" by the 45th president. He frequently calls that crowd "RINOs" for Republicans in Name Only.

Trump is recruiting challengers to face seven of the incumbents, while another six are already facing Trump-inspired challengers, including Murkowski and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who was ousted from her position as House Republican Conference chair following her vote to impeach the former president in the final days of his term.

The other three GOP incumbents on the list — Reps. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Tom Reed of New York — are already political roadkill, having announced they won't seek reelection.

In a feisty statement released by his office Saturday, Trump said:

"Any interest from good and SMART America First Republican Patriots to run primary campaigns against Representatives Tom Rice, John Katko, Don Bacon, Don Young, Fred Upton (challenge accepted), Andrew Garbarino, Peter Meijer (challenge accepted), David McKinley (challenge accepted), Nancy Mace, Jaime Herrera Beutler (challenge accepted) and Chris Smith?

You will have my backing!

Gonzalez, Kinzinger, and Reed already QUIT, they are out of politics, hopefully for good. Warmonger Liz Cheney (challenge accepted) is on the SKIDS with a 19% approval rating. Saving America starts by saving the GOP from RINOs, sellouts, and known losers! In the Senate, the “Disaster from Alaska,” Lisa Murkowski (challenge accepted), must go.

There is 'almost' nobody worse!"