Talk radio host Mark Levin criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for his remarks on ethanol, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and ethanol, arguing Trump “really screwed up,” and particularly criticized Trump’s position on ethanol as “pandering” and asking, “why would anybody support that who runs as a Republican?” on Monday.

Levin said, “I am not going to defend reckless comments, where a candidate or candidates defend the poison that is the Republican establishment, especially [Sen.] Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in the United States Senate. I am not going to defend blowing out our federal budget subsidizing agribusiness and leftists with ethanol that screw up your engine and drive up the price of fuel and the price of corn. I am not going to defend an attack led by the media and the left trying to smear Antonin Scalia, who’s been on the Supreme Court for over 30 years, one of a handful of justices who’s trying save this republic because of one election cycle.”

He added, “I do not believe in cults of personalities, by the way the RINOs do.” Levin cautioned that he’s not endorsing anyone, but that the election is about the most conservative candidate to save the republic and the Constitution, which is the most important issue, and “a candidate who does not understand that we are losing this republic is a candidate that I can’t support.”

Levin continued that his warning to Trump is like his prior warning against another GOP presidential candidate Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

He then turned to ethanol, wondering, “why would anybody support that who runs as a Republican? Because they go Iowa? I thought that’s the problem, pandering.” He then declared, “I think my friend Donald Trump really screwed up this weekend, big time, trifecta. Joining in with a leftist on CNN to twist what Antonin Scalia said during a Supreme Court hearing on affirmative action, just joining in and dumping on him. He deserves better than that, a lot better than that. Embracing ethanol subsidies. If we can’t get rid of ethanol subsidies, ladies and gentleman, how we are going to address an over $200 trillion debt. We’re not. … And then we have a guy who has stood up to Mitch McConnell, who is viciously attacked in every liberal, every liberal outlet, by the establishment, who led the fight against Obamacare, and he’s referred to as a ‘maniac.’ I’m sure Mitch McConnell loved that. I’m sure the Wall Street Journal editorial page loved that.”

He added that “if you’re even moderately conservative, you disagree with Donald Trump” on those three issues. Levin also, in a further discussion on ethanol, argued that all subsidies are bad, adding, “It’s like Marco Rubio getting funds from what of the biggest sugar daddies down there in Florida, who is subsidized by the federal government. I’m sick of all these subsidies.” And “Can we really, as conservatives, say that the right side of this to continue to support this? [ethanol] Based on what conservative principle or theory? And if we oppose it, we’re for big oil, what the hell does that mean?” He further said that Trump accusing people who oppose ethanol subsidies of being paid off by big oil is “just plain stupid.”

Levin further argued that “populism without conservatism is liberalism. Even more precisely, populism without conservatism is Statism.”

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