“If you ask me today to make a statement of support for Donald Trump, I’m not prepared to do that.”
Click for AUDIO version.
PALM HARBOR, FL (Apr 21, 2016) – Last December in the U.S. House of Representatives, Florida Congressman David Jolly (R-Dist 13) made national headlines when he said, “I rise today to call on Donald trump to withdraw his candidacy for the White House.” Four months have gone by since then and the congressman has had time to rethink his controversial comments, but tonight he again balked at supporting the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
As guest speaker for the North Pinellas Republican Club (NPRC) in Palm Harbor, Jolly spoke on a variety of subjects; veteran affairs, immigration, the federal budget, Obamacare, etc. He then opened the floor for questions and answers. Included was a question staging a hypothetical situation whereby, “Should Donald Trump win the GOP nomination, will you support him?” Jolly appeared to be uncomfortable with the question but answered anyway.
Jolly said three things; first, he would not vote for Hillary Clinton; second, it appears Trump is winning the nomination fair and square and the party shouldn’t interfere; and third, he balked at saying he would vote for or endorse Donald Trump claiming, a lot can happen between now and November.
He said, “As for me personally, November when I go to the ballot box, I’m going to tell you something you probably never hear a political person say, I don’t know (who I will vote for).” Jolly went on to say, “If it’s Donald Trump (as the GOP nominee), I’ve got to do a lot of reflection, because I have grave concerns about some of the things he has said about people.”
Jolly closed by saying, “If you ask me today to make a statement of support for Donald Trump, I’m not prepared to do that.”
The congressman selected his words carefully in answering the question as he was keenly aware of the sensitivity of the issue and was speaking before a group of Republicans, some of which are Trump supporters.
Click to listen to JOLLY’S TRUMP COMMENTS.
Jolly is currently running for Marco Rubio’s soon to be vacant U.S. Senate seat. He faces Congressman Ron DeSantis and many other Republicans vying for the seat.
The NPRC is a nonprofit Republican club supporting northern Pinellas County. They hold regular monthly meetings with guest speakers, just like this one with Cong. Jolly, at Leo’s Italian Grill in Palm Harbor. Their web page is at nprc.me
At the end of the night, it was apparent Jolly is still not a supporter of Donald Trump.
Keep the Faith!
