Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas has called out former President Donald Trump for not attending any of the GOP presidential debates, saying he is “afraid” to talk about his record as president.
“I was just at multiple events with [Florida Gov.] Ron DeSantis, where he’s shaking their hands and looking them in the eye while Donald Trump hangs out in his basement in Florida, afraid to actually debate,” Mr. Roy said on CNN’s “The Source” Tuesday.
“What’s he afraid of? You know, look, I’m happy to debate him if he wants to anywhere. I’m just a little old congressman. Why won’t he debate Ron DeSantis or any of the other candidates? I think he should,” he said.
Mr. Roy said Mr. Trump won’t debate Mr. DeSantis because their records are “not comparable.”
He praised Mr. DeSantis and criticized Mr. Trump for “mismanagement” that caused the country to rack up debt. He also slammed the former president for not “actually fully” securing the border.
“If we’d gotten the policies in place, if he had worked with conservatives to get bills passed in 2018-19, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in right now,” he said. “I don’t think he wants to debate that record.”
Mr. Trump attacked the Texas lawmaker Monday after he appeared alongside Mr. DeSantis at a campaign event in Iowa, calling on someone to run against the lawmaker even though the filing deadline for his seat had passed. The former president called Mr. Roy a “RINO.”
Mr. DeSantis came to Mr. Roy’s defense after the former president’s attack.
“While @chiproytx is fighting to do what Donald Trump promised to do —secure our southern border—the former president is on social media demanding a primary challenge to one of the most conservative members of Congress (even though the Texas primary filing deadline was over a week ago.),” Mr. DeSantis wrote in an X post Tuesday. “I stand with Chip and am honored to have his support. The time for talking is over. We must stop the invasion, and I will get it done.”
Rep. Thomas Massie was also quick to back Mr. Roy.
“I stand with [Rep. Chip Roy],” said Mr. Massie, Kentucky Republican, on X. “He fights for what he believes and he’s one of the most conservative members of Congress. I can tell you with certainty that this shortsighted effort to intimidate Chip will not work.”
Mr. Roy, an arch-conservative, and Mr. Trump have a history of butting heads. Mr. Roy was one of the small number of Republicans who voted to certify the 2020 election results and criticized the former president in the days following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
— Alex Miller contributed to this report.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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