OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A former Democratic lawmaker who became a Republican and a major supporter of then-President Donald Trump has won his primary in a landslide.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey managed to win 85 percent of the vote, according to election results as of Wednesday, Fox News reported.
During an interview with the network’s morning show on Thursday, Van Drew also ripped President Joe Biden as being the worst commander-in-chief in the country’s history:
The Trump-supporting Republican told “Fox & Friends First” hosts Todd Piro and Carley Shimkus he credits his success to those around him, including those who espouse his values of “freedom,” “hard work” and making sure everyone “obey[s] the rule of law,” among others.
“Pretty much everything [the Biden administration] has done… has been so destructive,” he said. “Worst president, worst administration in the history of America, in my opinion.”
He went on to credit Trump’s endorsement for his win, saying “he’s been with me all along, he’s supported me [and] not only did he endorse me, he’s had me at Mar-a-Lago and in New York.”
MAGA Republican Jeff Van Drew, who switched from the Democrats calls Biden administration the 'worst in American history' and thanks Trump for his endorsement after getting 85% of the vote in his New Jersey primary
https://t.co/RPo99KfTNE via @MailOnline
— VoiceOfReason🇺🇸 (@Voix_Of_Reason) June 8, 2022
For his part, Van Drew lauded Trump’s policies and vision for the country as well as his past accomplishments.
“I believe in what he did in that he actually broke up the swamp, he told the truth about what’s really going on,” he said.
“People want the truth. They want change. They don’t want this dysfunctional America that this administration is creating,” Van Drew noted further.
So far this primary season, an overwhelming majority of Trump-backed candidates have won their primary elections. But some of Trump’s Republican detractors are backing different primary opponents.
That includes his former vice president, Mike Pence, who threw his support behind incumbent GOP Georgie Gov. Brian Kemp over Trump’s endorsement of former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, one of the former president’s few losses.
In April 2021, a few months after the Jan. 6 riot, retired Army Lt. General Keith Kellogg, the National Security Council chief of staff under Trump and National Security adviser to Pence, said that the two men had engaged in some conversations.
“Absolutely. I really do,” Kellogg told the “John Solomon Reports” podcast at the time when he was asked if the two could repair their relationship which was fractured following the riot.
“They’re talking together. I know the president called him when he had his operation just recently on the pacemaker. And I know they’re talking,” Kellogg said.
Previously, Trump said he was “disappointed” that Pence went ahead and counted electoral college votes from disputed results in key battleground states following the November election.
As for Kellogg, he further talked about his time in the Trump administration being around both leaders.
“When I used to be in the Oval with both of them, I just loved being with both of them,” he said.
“There was good banter going back and forth. And you know, and when they would talk privately, I mean, the vice president would say, ‘Give me the room,’ which means ‘leave,’ and we would get up and leave the Oval, and then he and the president would talk out there,” he said.
“And I think they were an incredible team together going forward,” Kellogg added.
In January, however, Pence revealed that his talks with Trump trailed off last summer and had not resumed.
“You know, we talked last summer,” Pence told Fox’s Jesse Watters. “And, you know, I’ve said many times, it was difficult. Jan. 6 was difficult. It was a tragic day in the life of the nation.”
“I know I did my duty under the Constitution of the United States,” Pence added. “But the president and I sat down in the days that followed that. We spoke about it, talked through it. We parted amicably.”
