Rounds criticizes Trump’s call for ‘termination’ of the Constitution

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, is criticizing former president Donald Trump for proposing the “termination” of the U.S. Constitution.

Rounds issued a written statement by email Monday afternoon.

“Americans have a deep appreciation for the Constitution and our Founding Fathers who risked their lives to establish it,” Rounds’ statement said, in part. “As elected officials, we take an oath to support and defend the Constitution. We should never dishonor that oath. No one is above the Constitution.”

Rounds was reacting to Trump’s Saturday post on Trump’s own social media platform, Truth Social. In that post, Trump reiterated his claims of fraud in the 2020 election: “A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”

After widespread condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans, Trump went on Truth Social again Monday and wrote, “The Fake News is actually trying to convince the American People that I said I wanted to ‘terminate’ the Constitution. This is simply more DISINFORMATION & LIES, just like RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, and all of their other HOAXES & SCAMS.”

Rounds has consistently said there was no evidence of fraud in 2020 that was widespread enough to alter the results of the election, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden. Rounds reiterated that stance in his Monday statement and included some language about the next presidential election in 2024, which already includes Trump as a declared candidate on the Republican side.

“Anyone who desires to lead our country must commit to protecting the Constitution. They should not threaten to terminate it,” Rounds said. “I believe Americans want leaders, like those on Mount Rushmore, who will defend the Constitution and unite us in our belief that America is truly a shining city upon a hill.”

Thune, Johnson respond

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, said Thune fielded impromptu questions Monday afternoon from reporters in a Washington, D.C., hallway about Trump’s call for “termination” of the Constitution.

“Of course I disagree with that,” Thune said of Trump’s comments. “I swear an oath to uphold the Constitution and it is a bedrock principle — it is the principle, the bedrock of our country. So I couldn’t disagree more.”

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, responded to the Searchlight’s request for a comment with a written statement.

“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” Johnson said. “That’s the oath I took when I was sworn in as South Dakota’s sole member to the U.S. House. I will always uphold our Constitution. Calls to ‘terminate’ it are beyond the pale.”

Republican Gov. Kristi Noem’s spokesman did not immediately respond to a message from South Dakota Searchlight.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to include a statement from Rep. Dusty Johnson, which was not available when the article was originally published.