Former President Donald Trump shared criticism for GOP House members who have decided to leave their seats this year, saying that their choice to leave was a “disgrace.”
Trump shared his thoughts on his social media site Truth Social, referencing outgoing Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), who recently shared his decision to leave.
“Never forget our cowards and weaklings! Such a disgrace,” Trump said in a post.
Trump was also critical of former Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), as both men chose to retire early from Congress, leaving their seats empty. Gallagher will resign from Congress in mid-April, making his seat vacant until next January, while Buck resigned last week and will be replaced in June.
Gallagher’s decision to resign in April appears to be intentional so that the state avoids a special election to replace him, according to Wisconsin law.
After Gallagher resigns, the GOP majority in the House will be down to a single seat, making the job of Republicans even harder.
In response to Gallagher’s decision, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said that the Rep. should be expelled as punishment for his choice, though no one has seemed to support the option.
The decision to resign also comes at a time when some House Republicans remain uncertain about Speaker Mike Johnson, which could result in another ousting and vote, which could land Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in the role despite Democrats not winning control in the last election.
The Republicans will hope to regain a seat at the end of April when the seat of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is filled in a special election.
As for Gallagher, the Wisconsin Republican shared in February that he wasn’t going to run for reelection but now blamed his early exit on the dysfunctional GOP.
“Since I ran, I always said that Congress shouldn’t be a career,” Gallagher said in an interview in February, The Hill reported. “I think that the fact that we have so many lifers and careerists in this institution is why it’s so dysfunctional, and that the framers, when they created the Constitution and this country, had in mind that you would embark on a season of service and then return to private life.”