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Alyssa Farah Griffin, who served as an aide in the Trump administration, said recently that the ongoing January 6 public hearings are weakening the former president among his supporters.
She noted that the hearings, which are being held by the House select committee investigating last year's Capitol riot, are having a certain affect on the attitudes of those "who are on the margins and are not ultra MAGA," The Washington Post reported Friday.
"I think it's weakened him in a massive way," she said, according to the newspaper. "It reminds people of the drama and the four years of having to explain why they supported him...It's not him versus Biden. Do they really want to go back through that whole fiasco? They're also reminded of the noise and the drama and the division. We can support someone else. There are other good candidates."
Griffin, who has become more critical of the former president after last year's Capitol riot, slammed Trump in May for making endorsements based on "grievance."
Although some Republican candidates across the country seek Trump's endorsements, hoping to take advantage of his popularity among GOP voters, Griffin pointed out that the former president often passes endorsements based on a candidate's loyalty to him rather than their qualifications.
"Donald Trump's biggest issue that he's facing is that he's making endorsements based on grievance and his own personal kind of vendettas rather than who is electable and who is going to be a good candidate and able to win in a general election," said Griffin who served as the White House Director of Strategic Communications and former Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary.
Meanwhile, the House committee presented evidence Thursday that detailed Trump's lack of response for over three hours while rioters attacked the Capitol.
The evidence included testimony that he was aware that his supporters were storming the Capitol building about 15 minutes after he finished his "fight like hell" speech at The Ellipse in Washington, D.C.
The then-president allegedly watched rioters commit violent acts on TV and refused to listen to his advisers who urged him to stop his supporters.
The committee heard testimonies from Matt Pottinger, Trump's former deputy national security adviser, and Sarah Matthews, who was then-deputy press secretary. A recorded testimony from Trump's top White House lawyer Pat Cipollone was also presented.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's office for comment.
About the writer
Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more