Tapper asks ex-GOP congressman if Republicans ‘now the party of deranged bigots’

Jake Tapper asked former GOP Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.) on Wednesday whether he thinks Republicans are “now the party of deranged bigots,” after Dent announced his endorsement of former Vice President Joe Biden’s (D) presidential bid.

“At the end of the day, this really isn’t about right or left. It’s not about ideology. … For me it’s about right or wrong. Stability versus instability,” Dent told Tapper on CNN’s “The Lead.”

Former GOP @RepCharlieDent endorses Joe Biden for president. “At the end of the day, this really isn’t about right or left. It’s not about ideology. … For me it’s about right or wrong. Stability versus instability.” pic.twitter.com/o0dKxc55V6

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) August 19, 2020

Dent served as a member of Congress from 2005 to 2018 before retiring.

He previously announced that he would not support Trump’s 2016 presidential, citing Trump’s divisive history of comments directed at various minority or religious groups.

“It’s a sad state of affairs when a president endorses a 9/11 truther,” Dent said Wednesday, referencing the president’s support of Marjorie Taylor Greene, a GOP nominee for Congress who expressed skepticism of some events surrounding 9/11 and openly backed the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Last week, Trump called Greene a “future Republican star” following her congressional primary win in Georgia.

“All this does is empower the whack jobs and the nuts to come out. With strong leadership we should be able to marginalize folks like that,” Dent added.

Dent’s endorsement follows several other former GOP officials endorsing Biden’s running for president, including former N.Y. Rep. Susan Molinari and former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman.

Another high-profile Republican, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, spoke at the Democratic National Convention this week to voice his support for Biden’s campaign.