Joe Walsh, one of President Trump’s last remaining primary challengers, dropped out of the
Republican race Friday, citing the sheer impossibility of overcoming the president within the “cult-like” Republican party.“I got into this because I thought it was really important that there was a Republican out there every day calling out this president for how unfit he is. I want to stop Trump, I believe he’s a threat to this country,” Walsh told CNN’s John Berman, admitting that the president “can’t be stopped” within the GOP.“Nobody can beat him. It’s Trump’s Party, John, it’s not a party — it’s a cult. He can’t be beaten in the Republican primary, so there’s no reason for me, or any candidate really, to be in there. The party has become a cult,” Walsh declared.> JUST NOW: " I am ending my run for the President of the United States. ….It's not a party. It's a cult. [Trump] can't be beat in the Republican primary."@WalshFreedom drops out on @NewDay pic.twitter.com/kBD19j0SoY> > -- John Berman (@JohnBerman) February 7, 2020The recent Iowa caucuses showed Trump drawing a record Republican turnout to win with 97.1 percent of the vote. Walsh, a one-term congressman, finished third with just over one percent.A video from the Iowa caucuses showed Walsh unsuccessfully making his case to voters, as the crowd cheered when Walsh asked “if you want four more years of the
Donald Trump show,” and booed when Walsh characterized Trump as one who “makes every day about himself.”> Former Rep Joe Walsh @WalshFreedom concludes by saying that if people want “4 more years of the @realDonaldTrump show… He is then cut off by the crowd who yell “yes!” and applaud loudly IACaucus Elections2020 pic.twitter.com/8pZLpGaSko> > -- Alex Plitsas (@alexplitsas) February 4, 2020Speaking Friday, Walsh slammed the conservative movement for not giving him the chance to challenge Trump’s legacy.“The state parties are beholden to Trump, the conservative media world —
Fox News and all the rest — wouldn’t give me the time of day. I’m a Republican candidate for president, but they bow down in front of their king,” Walsh explained. He added that the monolith had swayed voters to the point of no return.Walsh also referred to Trump as a "dictator" and said he would support the eventual
Democratic nominee regardless of their policies."I would rather have, John, a socialist in the
White House than a dictator, than a king, than Donald Trump," he said.