Former Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey lashed out at left-wing pundits and members of his former party for trashing the phrase “Make America Great Again” and turning it into an anti-democratic message.

“This is about the person who has shown us that he has the experience, that the economy was good when he was in, that we were strong with foreign affairs and foreign policy, that our border was buttoned up, that our military was strong, that we did not have what’s happening in schools going on. Every single issue, we were on target. This is not a personality contest. This is about the future of the republic,” he told Fox News over the weekend.

“There are folks on the left that are going to like Donald Trump. If you believe in open borders, you are not going to like Donald Trump. If you believe in globalism, that we are just another country and we are nothing special in the United States of America, you are not going to like Donald Trump. If you do not believe in a strong economy, if you do not believe we should be doing more in gas and oil exploration, you are not going to like him. If you are for windmills and wind turbines all over the country, you are not going to like him. But if you believe in America, you are,” he continued.

“Five years ago, I was a Democrat, and I saw what this party, the Democratic party, was turning into. It no longer represents Main Street America, the working person, the taxpayer. I think people are really going to relate to President Trump, and he was great last time. He’s going to be really great as president this time. He’s learned even more. He’s going to be even better. And you are going to see, and you see it already, how he is trying to pull people together. As soon as these other people dropped out, they endorsed him, and he has embraced them. We are going to move forward,” Van Drew added.

“The big thing here is the state of New Jersey, which almost always goes blue — not always, but almost always — we are going to fight hard and work hard, and he is going to win the state of New Jersey,” he predicted.

Then he said:

How can you be against the words Make America Great? How can you be against those words? It is a great country. It is a unique experiment in all of history. It is literally the best country on the face of the Earth. That’s the whole argument, Jon. If you believe in Donald Trump, you believe in Americanism and American exceptionalism. If you believe like what you see at the World Economic Forum that just occurred, the United States is wrong on everything, bad with everything, we have to cater and get down on our knees and be part of the global community and globalism.

WATCH:

Democrat-turned-Republican Jeff Van Drew: "How Can You Be Against The Words Make America Great? How Can You Be Against Those Words?" pic.twitter.com/8LpmNEZSvg

— USA Features Media (@UsaFeatures) January 22, 2024