Republican state Sen. Amanda Chase’s “Trump in Heels” persona, which emerged as she decided to run for Virginia governor, conflicts with several statements she made during former President Donald Trump’s tenure. Furthermore, a recently surfaced and yet-unverified voicemail recording may be creating additional complications for the state lawmaker’s image.
The statements about Trump include suggesting he is untrustworthy and that a restrained affiliation with him would be beneficial for state Republicans during the 2019 election season. The comments differ from Chase’s embrace of the former president over the past year, after she announced her bid for governor in February 2020.
“Do you think he’s an honest man?” Inside Scoop host Mark Levine asked Chase in August 2018. Chase responded, “How would you say this? I would say, yeah, I think he’s probably not completely truthful. I do think that there’s probably a sense of, you know, looking out for himself.” Levine pressed further, “Do you find him a little narcissistic?” Chase replied, “Absolutely.”
While Chase conceded during the interview that she liked that Trump was “not a politician,” she emphasized she supported former Vice President Mike Pence and said Trump’s character concerned her “greatly”:
What I would say is I think that he has done a good job of surrounding himself with people who I do like. I do like Mike Pence. I think Mike Pence is a man of integrity and character. That’s what he’s known for. So, do I trust Donald Trump? I really question whether he’s always telling the truth. Yes, I agree, I don’t believe he’s always telling the truth. Do I like that? No.
…
The way I have to kind of look at it is it’s kind of like character versus policy. I agree with him on some of his policy issue. The character part concerns me greatly. The character part is one that I don’t understand. I don’t know that in Republican circles he would be someone that would be in my inner circle, quite honestly. Do I feel like I need to defend him? No. I’m not loyal to a party. I’m loyal to the principles that my party represents.
In November 2018, the Chesterfield Observer reported on the state’s upcoming 2019 elections and quoted Chase as a local Republican who found it strategic for candidates to distance themselves from Trump. “I think educated voters understand the difference between local and national politics,” Chase said. “Hopefully they will evaluate candidates based on their individual performance – not on somebody who isn’t connected to the seat in any way.”
The revelations of Chase’s negative remarks about Trump also come as a yet-unverified recording has surfaced of a voicemail Chase allegedly left an unknown recipient named “Diana.” A voice that is reportedly Chase’s is heard bashing the individual on the receiving end for unchristian-like behavior but then muttering “bitch” before hanging up the call.
Listen:
A partial transcript of the voicemail is below:
I just want to let you know that I think it’s important if we’re going to be Christians and brothers and sisters in Christ that we talk to each other directly if you have concerns about something I said that I’ve done, that you would come to me instead of talking to a supporter about something you think that I believe.
So I want to set the record straight. No, I do not believe in anything that’s New Age. I am a Christian, conservative Republican. If you have any further questions, please feel free to give me a call back. Thanks.
Bitch.
Breitbart News reached out to Chase’s campaign to seek comment on her past remarks about Trump and to verify the details of the voicemail recording but did not immediately receive a response.
Chase has been a polarizing figure in the race, continuously speaking out against the Virginia Republican Party as she has threatened to run as an independent alongside Republican frontrunners who include former Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox and political outsiders Glenn Youngkin and Pete Snyder. Chase was infuriated after the state party chose a convention over a primary as its process for selecting its nominee for governor, saying, according to the Washington Post, “The dysfunctional [party] leadership picked a method of nomination that does not allow the majority of people to participate.”
Chase also sued the party for the decision, arguing a convention would violate the state’s coronavirus mandates. Some Republican operatives have suggested Chase would have benefited more from a primary, rather than a convention, as a primary could have drawn higher grassroots voter turnout.
In a social media post in February, Chase herself said, “I would like the VA GOP State Central Committee to answer a question. 1,962,430 voters voted for President Trump in Virginia. How are you going to accommodate these people who will want to cast a vote for our statewide candidates?”:
I would like the VA GOP State Central Committee to answer a question. 1,962,430 voters voted for President Trump in Virginia. How are you going to accommodate these people who will want to cast a vote for our statewide candidates?
— Senator Amanda Chase (@AmandaChaseVA) February 24, 2021
The convention is set to take place May 8 at several polling locations across the state rather than at one large-scale event site to remain in compliance with the state’s coronavirus mandates.
Write to Ashley Oliver at [email protected].
