Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) will still not be endorsing former President Donald Trump, even though a majority of Senate Republicans and all members of the Senate GOP leadership have backed the presidential candidate’s bid.
Indiana GOP Sen. Todd Young renews his pledge not to support Trump in 2024 https://t.co/tdFnhOPhuZ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 9, 2024
According to Young, Trump’s position and remarks on Russia’s war in Ukraine put him at odds with his presidential campaign despite him being the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee after his last-standing rival Nikki Haley quit the race on Wednesday.
“I trust the people I represent to make their own decisions on who they’re going to vote for,” he said to CNN.
Young has reportedly not decided on who he will back for the election in November.
Young’s position on Trump’s candidacy is consistent with his comments nine months ago, in which he said he does not “intend to support him for the Republican nomination.”
Speaking to reporters following a CNN town hall Trump held, Young said, “I think President Trump’s judgment is wrong in this case. President Putin and his government have been engaged in war crimes.”
Asked about Trump’s status as a leading presidential candidate, Young said, “…That’s why I don’t intend to support him for the Republican nomination…I haven’t decided yet, it won’t be him.”
When a reporter asked him for the reason behind his decision to not support Trump, the Indiana lawmaker asked, “Where do I begin?” before saying “thank you” and walking away.
Trump and Young do not exactly have a history of supporting each other’s political aspirations. The former president did not endorse Young for reelection in 2022, making him one of the four senators whose reelection bids Trump did not endorse.
He is, however, not the only Republican senator who has refused to support Trump. The two others holding a similar stance are Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AL).
Romney’s position against Trump’s candidacy is quite strong, as he said last month that he would “absolutely not” vote for Trump over President Joe Biden.
For him, Trump’s “policy and character” does not make him an ideal candidate, as he said, “Having a president who is so defaulted of character would have an enormous impact on the character of America. And for me, that’s the primary consideration.”
