On MSNBC’s “Deadline,” former Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill expressed her bitterness that President-elect Donald Trump did not face a greater political consequence for the events of January 6.
She emphasized that the country is evenly divided, with many Trump voters motivated by a desire for change rather than full support for his policies.
McCaskill urged Democrats to remain engaged and continue fighting against Trump’s influence, highlighting the importance of acknowledging the challenges ahead.
She also praised Vice President Kamala Harris for her representation during this time.
McCaskill said, “Well, today was certainly a bittersweet day. And, candidly, I’m bitter. I mean, I’m bitter that a higher political price wasn’t paid for what Donald Trump did on January 6. Something is broken and we need to acknowledge that. And the other thing we have to keep front of mind, Nicolle, is that Donald Trump didn’t win 50 percent of the votes. This is an evenly divided country. It’s about half and half. And a chunk of those folks that voted for Donald Trump ignored everything except the fact they don’t like the status quo. The anti-incumbency thing was real. It’s real all over the world. The hangover from Covid and the inflation and the pain that people felt, and frankly, a lot of the immigration patterns around the world have made people feel like things are out of control, and they didn’t want the status quo. They didn’t want somebody who was close to an incumbent, if not seen as an incumbent. That doesn’t mean they buy into everything Donald Trump represents.”
She continued, “We cannot tune out. We have to tune in. 50% of the country agrees with us. 50% of the country doesn’t want this.”
McCaskill added, “So there’s work to do here, and you know, together we are going do it. Others on this network are going to do it, but the people in this country have to decide that they don’t quit fighting just because Donald Trump won the Electoral College and that’s what Kamala Harris represented today, and she did it with a smile on her face. I couldn’t be prouder of her.”
