Former President Donald Trump criticized the decisions of several Republican representatives to retire from the House of Representatives, further diminishing the GOP's already slim majority in the chamber, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a Sunday post on Truth Social, the former president focused his rage at Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), who announced that he will not reconsider his decision to leave Congress despite House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reportedly pleading for him to stay.
“Never forget our cowards and weaklings!” Trump wrote in the post that was shared to his 6.8 million followers. “Such a disgrace.”
If Rep. Gallagher had resigned before April 9, a special election would have been conducted to fill his seat. However, with his resignation date set for April 19, the seat will remain vacant until the new Congress convenes in January 2025.
Rep. Ken Buck's resignation also contributed to the GOP's diminished majority, with his disenchantment with the party and former President Trump cited as reasons for his departure.
In a statement to NewsNation on March 3, Rep. Buck expressed his stance, saying, "You know, the time is right. I’m at a point in my life where I want to do different things. I want to enjoy my family more, I want to [do] less business travel and more recreational travel. There are a lot of things that went into the decision."
"I am not going to lie on behalf of my presidential candidate, on behalf of my party," he told the outlet. "Others in my party have taken the position that, as long as we get the White House, it doesn’t really matter what we say."
Gallagher’s exit leaves the GOP in a tough situation. The Wisconsin congressman is set to step down on April 19. After he vacates his seat, Republicans will only have a razor-thin 217-214 advantage in the House — meaning that the GOP will only need to lose two Republican votes to fail to pass any measure.
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“I’ve heard the votes are tight; every vote is going to matter around here,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters when he returned from a six-week absence undergoing treatment for blood cancer for Republicans’ second attempt to impeach Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, passing by a single vote.
“The speaker has to be very careful,” said Claire Leavitt, a professor of government at Smith College. “Republicans have to make sure they all actually show up for votes.”