Republican senator fires back at question about Trump leading party: 'We're not a cult'
Cassidy also said he would support Sen. Mitch McConnell for Republican leadership in the Senate
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., fired back at NBC's Chuck Todd on Sunday after he suggested Donald Trump was the leader of the Republican Party and said "we're not a cult."
Todd asked if having the same Republican Party leadership, such as Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Kevin McCarthy, was going to be a problem for the GOP and said Trump was the party's leader.
"First, we’re not a cult. We’re not like, ‘Okay, there’s one person who leads our party.’ If we have a sitting president, she or he will be the leader of our party," Cassidy responded. "But we should be a party of ideas and principles, and that’s what should lead us. And I will go back, what we’ve been lacking, perhaps, is that fulsome discussion, followed up with the policy initiatives that we work to pass that will define who we are."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Again, we are not going to have one person anointed, unless she or he happens to be a sitting president," he continued. "We should have a set of principles and ideas and legislative accomplishments that is our lodestar, if you will. That’s where we need to go."
Cassidy also said he would support McConnell and said he would be the Republican leader in the Senate.
Sen. Bill Cassidy joins NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. (Screenshot/NBC/MeetThePress)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"How do you get the party there? You know how hard it is, you know the base of this party still loves Donald Trump, or do you think this midterm could break that spell?" Todd asked.
Cassidy said elections were about winning and added that the GOP was not going to do well if this election is indicative of what the Republican Party wants to be.
He said Republicans need to focus on passing legislation that will make people's lives better and said looking back on accomplishments Republicans worked on is this election cycle would also help the party "build the credibility" needed to win in the next election.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democrats maintained control of the Senate after Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto defeated Republican Adam Laxalt in the Nevada race on Saturday.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Hilton Anatole on August 06, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
GEORGIA RUNOFF: TRUMP FACTOR, SHORTENED SCHEDULE POSE CHALLENGES FOR WALKER
Georgia's Senate race between Republican Herschel Walker and Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock will go to a runoff election in December.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Several Republicans have questioned Trump's decision to announce his 2024 bid on Tuesday.
Former President Trump stressed the importance of restoring law and order in America in his first speech in Washington D.C. since leaving office. (Getty Images)
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Trump-endorsed candidates lost in several competitive midterm races and some in the media blamed the former president.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"What I can tell you is the biggest loser tonight is Donald Trump," ABC's Jonathan Karl said on election night.