Maine Gov. Paul LePage argued that Donald Trump would be a good choice for president because America needs “authoritarian power” to whip it back into shape.
“Sometimes, I wonder that our Constitution is not only broken, but we need a Donald Trump to show some authoritarian power in our country and bring back the rule of law because we’ve had eight years of a president, he’s an autocrat, he just does it on his own, he ignores Congress and every single day, we’re slipping into anarchy,” LePage told Maine radio station WVOM today.
Asked about the tape leaked Friday of Trump describing sexually aggressive gestures toward women, LePage said “the bottom line is this: Is he a slimeball? I’d be the first one to say, not a guy ideally I’d want my daughter going after.”
“But I will tell you one thing, as the head of state, is he going to protect our nation and fight the debt or is he going to go after interns? That’s the bottom line,” he added.
“…I think if you look at Donald Trump and you see his kids you’re pretty pleased to see what you see in front of you. Then on the other hand, you look at a presidential candidate who’s been around since the ’90s, who has been after one fraudulent activity after another.”
The governor added, “I’m sorry guys, but there was smudge on the blue dress! And that was by a president of the United States of America.”
LePage also ripped Never Trump Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine): “I am not Condoleezza Rice fan, I am not a Susan Collins fan. That’s not the kind of Republican I am. I am from the Grand Old Party, I am from the party of Ronald Reagan,” he said. “That is different than the people that claim to be Republicans that are shooting their mouths off.”
LePage, the former mayor of Waterville, was elected governor in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.
In August, he challenged a state lawmaker to a duel in which he vowed to point a firearm “right between his eyes, because he is a snot-nosed little runt and he has not done a damn thing since he’s been in this Legislature to help move the state forward.” The governor apologized but said the reporter “who put the mic in my face” to get the comment owed Maine an apology as well.
That same month, Trump expressed interest in having LePage in a Trump administration after asked about the possibility in an interview with the Portland Press Herald.
“I don’t know that he would want that but he is a very talented guy, he is also a great person, a tremendous person and if he were available I would certainly find something for Paul because he’s done a great job up here, he’s not only popular, he’s done an unbelievable job so I would certainly say that he would be a candidate,” Trump said.
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