Former President Donald Trump openly celebrated the retirement of Ken Buck, a prominent conservative and vocal critic within the Republican party who opposed the claims of election fraud surrounding Joe Biden’s victory. Buck announced his retirement on MSNBC, expressing his disappointment with the GOP’s continued reliance on false narratives about the 2020 election and the events of January 6, 2021.
Despite expectations that the Republican party would distance itself from Trump after the 2020 election, the former president has managed to consolidate his influence within the party. With Trump’s firm grip on the GOP, the departure of figures like Buck only solidifies his control, making him the frontrunner for the party’s 2024 presidential nominee.
Trump, the main proponent of the election fraud lie, which he used to incite the deadly attack on Congress in January 2021, took to his Truth Social platform to criticize Buck, labeling him as “a weak and ineffective Super RINO if there ever was one,” employing the acronym for “Republican in name only.”
Buck, a 64-year-old former federal prosecutor from Colorado, had emerged as a vocal Trump critic despite his conservative stance. He voiced his concerns about the party’s focus on Trump-related controversies, stating that it made it challenging for Republicans to convey a positive message to the public.
In August, Buck condemned the Georgia electoral subversion case against Trump, describing it as “a nuclear bomb where a bullet would have been appropriate.” He shared his frustration with MSNBC, a network that Trump often disparagingly referred to as “MSDNC.”
Buck’s opposition to prominent Trump supporter Jim Jordan of Ohio for the position of House speaker led to severe consequences, including death threats and eviction from a constituency office. Despite these challenges, Buck remained steadfast in his stance against the false narratives perpetuated by some Republican leaders.
In a video posted on social media, Buck reiterated his message to the Republican party, criticizing the dissemination of falsehoods about the 2020 election and January 6 events. He highlighted the detrimental impact of these narratives, fostering widespread cynicism and undermining Americans’ confidence in the rule of law.
Buck clarified that he did not intend to leave the Republican party, refusing to confirm whether he would support Trump for president in a potential “Trump-Biden redo,” acknowledging that it would be “a very difficult decision.”
