Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz endorses Utah Senate candidate, compares John Curtis to Mitt Romney

RIVERTON — Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz braved a “wintry combine” of climate Thursday evening to endorse Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs within the race to fill Sen. Mitt Romney’s seat this fall, taking photographs on the outgoing senator and Utah Rep. John Curtis alongside the best way.

Gaetz — a Republican intently aligned with former President Donald Trump — addressed a crowd of a number of hundred GOP delegates and supporters, lots of whom got here wearing “Make America Nice Once more” hats and T-shirts adorned with the previous president’s mugshot.

The Florida congressman drew applause and cheers when attacking Romney, who has grow to be the prototype of a “Republican in title solely” to many Trump supporters. Gaetz additionally continuously slammed John Curtis, one other Republican vying for Romney’s seat.

“John Curtis is simply Mitt Romney with out the nice hair,” Gaetz mentioned.

Staggs launched his Senate marketing campaign final Might, months earlier than Romney introduced he wouldn’t search one other time period, and has frequently pitched himself to Trump supporters on nationwide shops reminiscent of Fox Information and Newsmax. Polling of the 11-candidate Republican major from January reveals the race continues to be up for grabs, however Curtis leads the pack, seemingly prompting the eye and comparisons to Romney.

Staggs’ efforts to courtroom the MAGA base have paid off up to now by way of endorsements from Trump’s orbit, as he has already garnered assist from Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake and Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville.

Like the previous president, Staggs has additionally solid himself as outdoors of the Republican institution, and referred to as Gaetz — who has continuously been a thorn within the aspect of Home Republican management and sponsored the movement to vacate former Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy — one of many politicians who has most frequently “put their finger within the eye of the institution.”

That anti-establishment sentiment permeated the group as nicely; calls to defund the FBI, minimize spending to the United Nations and Ukraine, and free the prisoners convicted of coming into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, had been met with rapturous applause.

A number of individuals within the viewers had been in Washington on Jan. 6, in accordance with Staggs, who mentioned a “pricey buddy” spent 30 days imprisoned after “strolling round for a couple of minutes” within the Capitol “after being ushered in.” He appeared to downplay the violence that occurred in and across the Capitol that day.

“If individuals broke the regulation, completely ought to the regulation maintain. However what occurred on that day, what was portrayed within the media versus lots of eyewitness accounts, of us that I’ve talked to … is evening and day. And that to me could be very disturbing,” Staggs mentioned.

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When somebody within the crowd requested Gaetz what the “plan” is for Anthony Fauci, the previous director of the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Illnesses who helped advise Trump’s COVID-19 response, one other attendee yelled, “a rope.” Some Trump supporters have accused the longtime immunologist — who retired in 2022 — of mendacity in regards to the illness.

If Trump is reelected in 2024, Gaetz mentioned officers from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention needs to be prosecuted “for these lies.”

One other attendee requested about Trump’s referrals of Chinese language President Xi Jinping as his “buddy.” He requested Gaetz to “please inform President Trump to give up calling Xi his buddy. Xi is dedicated to the destruction of America and he is no ‘buddy.'”

Gaetz laughed, saying he does not give the previous president “rhetorical recommendation.” The congressman then in contrast Trump to Michael Scott, the buffoonish supervisor portrayed by Steve Carell on the TV collection, “The Workplace.”

“I do not actually perceive, nevertheless it’s most likely working at the next degree,” Gaetz mentioned of Trump.

As anti-establishment as Staggs’ message was, he is now working in a celebration that has been remade within the picture of Trump — with Trump allies main the Republican Nationwide Committee, Home Republican caucus and the overwhelming majority of state Republican events. However whereas Republican voters in Utah have swung for Trump in latest elections, the state stays extra skeptical of the previous president in comparison with equally conservative states.

Staggs goes all in on courting GOP delegates in lieu of gathering signatures, which means he’ll want no less than 40% assist from delegates on the state Republican conference on April 27.