<p>Donald Trump sought to tighten his grip on the Republican Party Wednesday after an oversight board upheld Facebook's ban on the former US president, reiterating his false claims of election fraud and attacking his "gutless" Republican critics in Congress.</p>.<p>Despite losing the election to Joe Biden last year and enduring a second impeachment in January after the deadly pro-Trump insurrection at the US Capitol, the brash billionaire remains the GOP's most influential figure.</p>.<p>Trump blasted party leaders who have publicly reprimanded him, including top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, or who voted to impeach him in January, most notably congresswoman Liz Cheney, the number three House Republican.</p>.<p><strong>Also read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/facebook-oversight-board-upholds-trumps-ban-calls-for-more-review-982671.html" target="_blank">Facebook oversight board upholds Trump's ban, calls for more review</a></strong></p>.<p>"Warmonger Liz Cheney, who has virtually no support left in the Great State of Wyoming, continues to unknowingly and foolishly say that there was no Election Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election when in fact, the evidence... shows the exact opposite," Trump said in a fiery statement.</p>.<p>"Had gutless and clueless MINORITY Leader Mitch McConnell... fought to expose all of the corruption that was presented at the time, with more found since, we would have had a far different Presidential result, and our Country would not be turning into a socialist nightmare," he said, adding: "Never give up!"</p>.<p>The statement came minutes after Facebook's independent oversight board upheld a ban on Trump, while ordering the social media giant to further review the case.</p>.<p>And with Trump openly mulling another run for the White House, his attack appears to be an effort to clip the wings of high-profile Republicans like McConnell and Cheney who have not fallen in line with his false narrative that Biden and other Democrats stole the election.</p>.<p>Cheney, the most senior Republican woman in Congress, is meanwhile facing the most serious challenge yet to her role as House Republican conference chair, with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and number two Steve Scalise signalling they support ousting her from the leadership.</p>.<p>McCarthy was recently caught on a hot mic on <em>Fox News</em> saying he has "lost confidence" in Cheney.</p>.<p>And a Scalise aide confirmed that Scalise "has pledged to support" pro-Trump Republican Elise Stefanik's bid for conference chair.</p>
<p>Donald Trump sought to tighten his grip on the Republican Party Wednesday after an oversight board upheld Facebook's ban on the former US president, reiterating his false claims of election fraud and attacking his "gutless" Republican critics in Congress.</p>.<p>Despite losing the election to Joe Biden last year and enduring a second impeachment in January after the deadly pro-Trump insurrection at the US Capitol, the brash billionaire remains the GOP's most influential figure.</p>.<p>Trump blasted party leaders who have publicly reprimanded him, including top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, or who voted to impeach him in January, most notably congresswoman Liz Cheney, the number three House Republican.</p>.<p><strong>Also read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/facebook-oversight-board-upholds-trumps-ban-calls-for-more-review-982671.html" target="_blank">Facebook oversight board upholds Trump's ban, calls for more review</a></strong></p>.<p>"Warmonger Liz Cheney, who has virtually no support left in the Great State of Wyoming, continues to unknowingly and foolishly say that there was no Election Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election when in fact, the evidence... shows the exact opposite," Trump said in a fiery statement.</p>.<p>"Had gutless and clueless MINORITY Leader Mitch McConnell... fought to expose all of the corruption that was presented at the time, with more found since, we would have had a far different Presidential result, and our Country would not be turning into a socialist nightmare," he said, adding: "Never give up!"</p>.<p>The statement came minutes after Facebook's independent oversight board upheld a ban on Trump, while ordering the social media giant to further review the case.</p>.<p>And with Trump openly mulling another run for the White House, his attack appears to be an effort to clip the wings of high-profile Republicans like McConnell and Cheney who have not fallen in line with his false narrative that Biden and other Democrats stole the election.</p>.<p>Cheney, the most senior Republican woman in Congress, is meanwhile facing the most serious challenge yet to her role as House Republican conference chair, with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and number two Steve Scalise signalling they support ousting her from the leadership.</p>.<p>McCarthy was recently caught on a hot mic on <em>Fox News</em> saying he has "lost confidence" in Cheney.</p>.<p>And a Scalise aide confirmed that Scalise "has pledged to support" pro-Trump Republican Elise Stefanik's bid for conference chair.</p>