Indiana Sen. Todd Young won't back Trump as Republican nominee
There's no love lost between the sitting U.S. senator from Indiana and former President Donald Trump.
INDIANA, USA — Former President Donald Trump shouldn't count on Republican Sen. Todd Young's voice of support as he positions himself as the leading Republican presidential nominee ahead of the 2024 election.
Responding to a question from CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raja following a town hall Thursday, the representative from Columbus didn't hold back in naming Trump's continued support of Putin's invasion of Ukraine as a major factor in why he wouldn't back Trump for a second term.
"I think President Trump's judgment is wrong in this case. President Putin and his government have engaged in war crimes. I don't think that's disputed," Young said.
When Raja asked for clarification on why Trump could not expect his support as the potential upcoming Republican presidential nominee, Young was forthright.
"Where do I begin?" Young quipped before walking away from the interviewer.
This isn't the first time Young signaled a lack of support for the former president.
Young publicly called for a certification of election votes amid protestors in the January insurrection in 2021. A video depicting Young standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and invoking an "oath he took under God" and questioning whether that still mattered in "this country" went viral that day.
Young announced that same day he would vote to uphold Democrat Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory, and went against the former president's push to overturn the presidential election.
He was among one of four GOP incumbents who did not receive Trump's endorsement ahead of their reelection campaigns in 2022.
Other U.S. Republicans have already voiced support for Trump's presidential nomination, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. JD Vance.
Young did not comment on which Republican nominee he would support for president instead of Trump.
