Rep Dean Phillips says making Donald Trump 'martyr' for hush money payment to Stormy Daniels is 'stupid' as it boosts his support

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA: Democrat Dean Phillips, who represents Minnesota, called on New York Governor, Kathy Hochul to pardon former President Donald Trump following his conviction in his hush money trial.

The plea sparked outrage on social media with many calling him "stupid."

However, on Saturday, June 1, he lashed out at those calling him stupid and insisted making Trump a "martyr" over hush money was "stupid."

Rep Dean Phillips says Donald Trump thrives on portraying himself as the 'victim'

Trump became the first former US president to be a convicted felon on Thursday, 30 May.

The jury found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide alleged affairs during his 2016 campaign. 

“Donald Trump is a serial liar, cheater, and philanderer, a six-time declarer of corporate bankruptcy, an instigator of insurrection, and a convicted felon who thrives on portraying himself as a victim,” Phillips said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

“@GovKathyHochul should pardon him for the good of the country," he added.

Dean Phillips says Donald Trump's martyrdom boosts his election support

Phillips, a former presidential candidate, argued that pardoning Trump would prevent him from becoming a martyr and potentially energizing his base. 

“You think pardoning is stupid?” Phillips asked in a Saturday post on X.

“Making him a martyr over a payment to a porn star is stupid. (Election charges are entirely different.) It’s energizing his base, generating record sums of campaign cash, and will likely result in an electoral boost.”

Phillips' concerns stem from the Republican party's announcements about receiving the largest fundraising hauls within 24 hours of Trump's conviction. 

Outrage after Dean Phillips' pardon request for Donald Trump

Internet's response to Phillips’ demand for Trump’s pardon has been overwhelmingly negative.

"Thank goodness no one cares what you think," wrote one user on X. Another mocked, "He's not going to make you his VP."

Criticism continued with comments such as, "Oh shut up. You're obviously terrible at politics," and "Your a mess Dean!"

"You’re stupid," wrote one commenter, suggesting this was why Phillips wasn’t nominated. Another added, "Dude, there are more important things than elections, like accountability."

Reflecting on Phillips' political standing, one troll commented, "I think there's a reason why you came in 4th in a 3 person primary, and it's showing."

"I think *you* are stupid. And I suspect I ain’t the only one. You aren’t relevant and will never be. Have some self-respect & just shut up," reacted one harshly.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.