Trump's Niece Once Said Only Someone Running Against Him Can Call Him Out: Does Mike Pence Have It In Him?

The Republic presidential primary is getting crowded with the passing of each day even as Donald Trump has a stranglehold over the GOP base. The former president’s niece Mary Trump said following her uncle’s CNN townhall that media could do little to stem his lies and the onus falls on those who are pitted against him in the presidential race.

Here’s a look at all the announced candidates who are in the fray for the Republican nomination:

• Former Vice President Mike Pence
• Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
• North Carolina Governor Doug Burgum
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
• Right-wing political commentator Larry Elder
• Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
• Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson
• Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
• Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)

The ‘Deluded Few’: Commenting on Donald Trump's CNN townhall, during which the former president called moderator Kaitlin Collins a "nasty woman," Mary Trump said that her uncle is “literally just who he is — he isn't nuanced."

Mary Trump made the comments while appearing as a guest on the "Fast Politics" podcast hosted by Molly Jong-Fast, which aired on Friday.

Mary Trump, a psychologist by profession, said it was important that Trump's followers "get completely cordoned off from participating beyond casting one vote in anything having to do with the American experiment going forward."

While discussing the reasons why her uncle’s supporters have stuck with him despite his shortcomings, Mary Trump explained that his followers value him entirely differently than his opponents do.

There are a "deluded few" who see Donald Trump as a "superhero" or as someone wearing a special-forces uniform riding around and holding the Constitution, she said.

"They love his lies. They love that he gets away with lying to that degree. They love the cruelty. I mean, I think that's been obvious for a really long time now," Mary Trump said of her uncle’s supporters.

"They love that this man who is literally standing in for them he shares their grievances he shares their sense of victimization because, for him, those things are quite real," she added.

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Nailing His Lies: The psychologist also said she is unsure whether a journalist can effectively call out Donald Trump on his lies. Rather, it would have to be somebody running against him, she said.

To stop the former president's lies, "[you] need to point out all of the things that make him so unfit for the role he seeks to hold once again," Mary Trump said.

"He needs to be brought up short and the only way to do that is to be very blunt about who he is and what will not be allowed," she added.

Donald Trump's poll numbers received a boost following his New York indictment because of the idea that power and impunity matter most, his niece said. Secondly, the spike underscores the degree to which "the cult of personality and charisma function in our politics," she added.

Does Pence Makes The Cut: Pence has experience both as a Congressman and governor of a state and is said to be a conservative who is not loud mouthed. Donald Trump’s support base may harbor resentment toward Pence for not standing by Donald Trump when he sought overturning his 2020 electoral defeat.

In a campaign speech in Iowa, Pence took aim at Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot, the first GOP presidential hopeful that publicly berated the former president on the campaign trail.

A WPA Intelligence poll done between May 30-June 1 showed Pence received 4% of the votes compared to Donald Trump’s 39% and DeSantis’ 20%, according to polling website FiveThirtyEight.

Some elements of this story were previously reported by Benzinga and it has been updated.

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