‘The barbarians are well inside the gates,’ Republican congressman warns of midterm results

Republican Florida Representative Randy Fine rejected Vice President Vance’s explanation for his party’s midterm defeat and said he would not support him for the Republican nomination in 2028. Speaking with Host Mike Wagenheim on i24NEWS’ American View, Fine said Republicans lost because voters believed the party didn't care about their problems. “Well, we got our butts kicked,” he said.

Vance had posted a list of reasons for the losses that he attributed to his pollster, including the Iran war and the US-Israel relationship. Fine dismissed the claim. “No, none at all. And in fact, frankly, three of the four reasons had to do with Israel and Jews,” he said, adding that the poll was never released. Fine said the real drivers were “gas prices” and “grocery prices,” and noted that he won his own race by 19 points after winning by 14 the last time.

“If people were angry about Israel, they would have taken it out on me, and they didn’t do that,” he said.

In a follow-up, when asked what VP Vance was trying to accomplish with his statements, Rep. Fine responded simply with, "I don't know," and said he was "very disappointed with the rhetoric."

Fine pointed out that Vance had been unwilling to repudiate Tucker Carlson, whom he accused of spouting “the most vile anti-Semitic Nazi-type rhetoric.” “These arguments aren’t helpful, and they’re also incredibly disloyal to President Trump,” Fine said.

"I will not support Vance in the Republican nomination in 2028.”

Regarding the US-Israel relationship, Fine told Wagenheim he believes “it’s going to be okay for the next two years” because “Israel has never had a better president than President Trump.” He said a majority in both the House and Senate still believes in the importance of the relationship, but warned about newly elected members of Congress he described as “clear advocates for Muslim terror.”

“The barbarians are no longer at the gates; they’re well inside, and some of them are going to serve in Congress,” he said.

Fine said there was one reason for hope: Hakeem Jeffries naming Jared Moskowitz, “one of the most pro-Israel Jewish Democrats,” to chair the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee that deals with the Middle East. “That gives a signal for where the leadership of the House Democrats is going,” he said.

The Florida congressman added that those he called “the Jew haters” will get mad. "They will scream loudly, and I can promise you this: they’ll meet me on the battlefield when they do that.”

Asked whether Israel’s announcement that it would give up US defense aid might lower the temperature on the issue in Congress, Fine answered: “Not at all.” He called the decision “stupid,” saying “you’re never going to make an anti-Semite not be anti-Semitic. That was just an excuse.”

He said, “Democrats in the United States have become an anti-Semitic party,” but added that this did not mean every Democrat he served with was an anti-Semite. The difference with Republicans regarding antisemitism, he said, is that “they elect theirs, they elevate theirs, they celebrate theirs. We crush ours.”

Fine pointed to Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, whom he referred to as anti-Semites, and noted that they would not be in the Republican caucus when it reconvenes on January 3.

Asked about the current Democratic presidential field, with Wagenheim highlighting Jewish politicians like Rahm Emanuel, Josh Shapiro and JB Pritzker, Fine offered a grim opinion in that he did not believe that a Jewish person could win a Democratic primary for president of the United States.

“I hope I’m wrong,” he stated, noting that while he would not support them in a general election, he might “cheer from the sidelines to be proven wrong in a primary.”

On the Republican side, Fine said, “I think Marco Rubio would be an extraordinary candidate. I hope that he runs.” He said Rubio could rebuild the Trump coalition and reach Hispanics “in a way that few others will.” He also named Rick Scott and said Ron DeSantis might “go for it” once he leaves the governor’s mansion.

In discussing what he hopes for President Trump's remaining two years, Fine said he wants to see an expansion of the Abraham Accords, though he was far less charitable toward Qatar and Turkey. “I’m not a fan of either country,” he said, accusing Qatar of funding “so much of the anti-Semitism that takes place in the country.”

“The fact that Turkey remains in NATO makes me wonder why we’re still in it,” he added.

At home, Fine said Republicans would play defense against the incoming Democratic majority. “President Trump is still the president, and so when they propose terrible ideas, he can veto them, and we have the votes to uphold his veto,” he said.

On the Iran war, he said it will “wind down when Iran gives up their nuclear weapons ambitions,” calling a nuclear weapon “an existential threat to the world.”

Asked what Republicans hoped to accomplish in the final weeks of the current session, Fine said, “The question is, what don’t we need to work on?” “I hope we make sure that we fund the government,” he said, adding: “I don’t know what’s within the realm of the possible, but I’ll do everything I can to get it done every single day.”