Bernie Moreno, a Republican businessman running for the US Senate in Ohio, once said there was “no scenario” in which he would support Donald Trump. He’s called Trump a “fake Republican” who stokes “hatred and fear” and suggested that the former president’s popularity is the result of “ignorance in our society.”
In several previously unreported audio clips and deleted tweets, uncovered by a CNN KFile review of Moreno’s past statements, the Ohio Republican harshly criticized Trump.
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Moreno now attacks the “wine-sipping country club Republicans” who are “offended by President Trump’s words.” He characterizes individuals imprisoned for Capitol riot-related offenses as “political prisoners,” claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and alleges collaboration between “big tech,” “the swamp,” the corporate media, and Democrats to rig the election.
Despite this, he previously congratulated President Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential win and after the attack on the Capitol in January 2021, Moreno posted “[Trump] deserves lots and lots of blame for this,” adding, “He didn’t calm tensions; no one (and certainly not me) has excuses [sic] that behavior.”
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In October 2016, Moreno posted on Twitter in a reply that he wrote-in a vote for Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio – a tweet his campaign spokesman Conor McGuinness tells CNN was meant in “jest,” and that Moreno “absolutely voted for Trump in 2016.”
Appearing on a now-defunct radio show earlier that year he said, “There’s no scenario in which I would support Trump,” adding Trump played to people’s “worst emotions.” “If Trump is the nominee, I think the Republican party is now a different party and not a party that I want to be a part of.”
Moreno was withering in since-deleted tweets from 2016, calling Trump a “fake Republican,” and saying he was “conspiring” with his “ally” Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to take down the Republican Party. He mocked Trump’s signature red “Make America Great Again” hats and disparaged Trump in messages to mainstream media reporters.
“What Trump’s message is really about, is that the America that we really want?” Moreno added on the radio show. “…where hatred is stoked and fears are what drive our decision making?”
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In early February 2022, Moreno dropped out of the Senate race at Trump’s urging; Trump eventually endorsed Vance for the Senate seat. In this race, Moreno has continued to embrace false election claims.
“Anybody who had eyes and ears knows what happened in 2020,” Moreno said at an October forum.
Moreno deleted tweets he posted before the 2020 presidential election urging Americans to “accept the results,” and deleted tweets praising mail-in voting – which Trump has falsely claimed is rife with fraud. Moreno removed a post saying he would accept the results himself.
In one removed tweet from November 29, 2020, more than three weeks after the election, Moreno attacked Trump directly.
“For @realDonaldTrump to make claims of a fraudulent election without proof. Potentially irreparable harm to US,” he said.
Also among Moreno’s deleted posts is a November 7, 2020 tweet, where he acknowledged Biden’s win and called for unity. He purged tweets where he urged conservatives to accept the outcome and debunked fraud allegations by highlighting Republican gains in the House. He also said that he himself voted by mail in 2020, calling it “safe” and “convenient.”
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