Trump Afraid? NOT Making Primary Endorsements Suggests He Is

Trump is embattled these days to be sure. However, the GOP is still Trump’s Party (despite the fact HE PAINTS HIS FACE ORANGE!) and everyone knows it. For Republicans their support of Trump might be based on worship, or fear but most still strongly back him despite some cracking of the ice under Trump’s feet. 

However while attention is focused on Trump’s scrambling on tariffs, the Federal Reserve and other matters something else has flown under the radar. Trump is hesitant to make endorsements in some key Senate primaries that will take place next year.

I don’t habitually read the conservative leaning Washington Examiner but sometimes it’s worth doing so. Their headline to a story about Trump ‘dodging’ endorsements in ‘messy’ Senate primaries got my attention. I’m glad I read the linked article and you should read it too. 

Keep in mind that Trump has had some embarrassments when it comes to endorsements in high profile races, and some candidates he’s put a lot of effort in to have gone down in flames. Herschel Walker in Georgia and “Dr.” Oz in Pennsylvania come to mind.  Trumpty has come up with egg on his face more than once and that’s the point here. He’s showing every sign of being gun-shy at a crucial time.

Yes, primaries for the midterm elections are a year (give or take) away but regardless of Party candidates want the field cleared of others as soon as possible so they can both build their campaign war chest (instead of spending money winning a primary) and focus on positioning themselves for the general election. As the Washington Examiner tells us in some states it’s not an issue.

There are red states such as South Carolina (Lyndsay Graham), Mississippi (Cindy Hyde-Smith), Pete Ricketts in Nebraska and Steve Daines in Montana are cited as examples. However, in some other notable states battles are underway. Including states with incumbent Republicans.  Just as important at least one will be competitive no matter who the GOP nominates.

Trumpty has sometimes tried to hedge his bets in the past by ‘endorsing’ multiple candidates which in my book means he’s avoided endorsing anyone.  The most amusing I think was in Missouri where he ‘endorsed’ “Eric” when three men with the first name Eric were vying for the GOP nomination!  Former state AG Eric Schmitt ultimately won, over former Gov. Eric Greitens and long shot Eric McElroy.

(Schmitt easily won the general – we’re talking about Missouri after all)  However as I said there are states where the GOP candidate isn’t guaranteed to win and that’s where Trump’s timidity comes into play. A bruising fight can, if Democrats quickly coalesce around a candidate spell trouble.  That’s why DonOLD playing ‘Trump the Timid’ is worth noting:

Trump’s latest dodge came Friday when he was prompted about getting involved in the Lone Star State’s contest between Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“They’re both friends of mine. I like them both. In a way, I wish they weren’t running against each other,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “But I like Paxton. I like Cornyn. They’re both good people. I’ll make a decision somewhere along the line. But you have two very good men.”

The Examiner says Kentucky (since Yertle the Turtle McConnell is retiring) and Louisiana are safe for the GOP.  I’m not so sure that would be the case if current Gov. Andy Beshear jumps in.  Despite what they think I’m not sure Trump will want to invest too much of his reputation there. 

As for Texas, Democrat’s great white whale it’s a different story.  Cornyn and Trump have had a bit of friction and Paxton is pure Trumpian in nature. He’s Trump’s kind of guy. You have to think if Cruz, who everyone (including probably Cruz himself) hates can, after a couple of real challenges from good candidates prevail you’d think Trump would weigh in.

Immigration has been a ‘bigly’ issue for Trump and let’s face it, on that and anything else Paxton is pure Trumpian in his thoughts and actions. One would think given Trump’s thin skin he’d jump at the chance to move out Cornyn in favor of a Texas version of Graham.

After all Graham was lest we forget an opponent of Trump and Trumpism. Paxton has ALWAYS been meaner than Graham and would fight like hell to be Trump’s personal ball (as in testicles) washer. I find it curious, if not instructive that Trump has chosen to hold back.

In North Carolina where I live Thom Tillis could be in serious trouble in a general election. He was going to lose and likely by several percentage points last time. However news broke that his opponent was another John Edwards who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.

Tillis has sucked up to Trump plenty BUT he’s also spoken out sometimes in opposition and you know as well as I do that kind of “disloyalty” put’s Trump into ‘I’m gonna destroy his ass’ mode.  However North Carolina is a tight state politically (the legislature and with it Congressional maps are misleading as hell due to GOP gerrymandering) and Trump himself hasn’t won it by much. 

Tillis would at least carry the mantle of incumbency which could make all the difference. However North Carolina I think truly illustrates Trump’s problem. HE has grown unpopular and from where I sit if his numbers move at all it will be in the wrong direction. 

He for damned sure doesn’t want to endorse Tillis who is facing a stiff headwind regardless.  However endorsing a MAGA sounding Trumpier than Trump wannabe will cost the GOP a seat. I’ve lived in NC a decade now and I’m convinced of that. 

So Trump is faced with the choice of getting some payback on Tillis by endorsing a challenger (and GOP loss of a Senate seat) or backing Tillis to stave off any serious primary challenge. And losing the seat anyway because the endorsement will hang around Tillis’ neck like happened with Oz up in Pennsylvania!

So what Trump is choosing to do in North Carolina and elsewhere is take over for ‘Yertle’ (McConnell) and make like a turtle. Pull his head into that armored shell and hope to avoid getting (politically) hurt. Like so many bullies Trump is at heart a f**king coward! 

Even before things got so bad for him (and with him the GOP) so quickly since Inauguration day Republican control of the House was in trouble. They’ve got a small bit of room in the Senate at this point. However the way things are going even in a places like Texas and Kentucky (depending on if Beshear goes for McConnel’s seat) the GOP might find itself in trouble. Add in North Carolina and BOOM! It’s a whole new scenario.

NOW is the time for the GOP to clear decks for their Senate candidates and organize behind people who can likely win. Senate races are hugely expensive in the best of circumstances and the fortunes spent in primaries will be needed for the general election.  With the GOP likely to lose their majority in the House protecting it in the Senate (and remember, Alito and Thomas are getting up there in age) is that much more important.

Yet Trumpty is FEARFUL of picking his “team” for fear of one or more of them losing. Which in turn means even if he gets a GOP controlled Senate for his last two years he won’t command the same level of obedience he not only wants but has to have!  Senators who will be up in 2028 won’t be eager to blindly back Trump if they lose ground in 2026.

In the end, for all his bluster Trump is AFRAID. That’s what I take from this. I’ll close with a provocative question: What if Senators and Representatives do soon start making like sharks smelling (Trump) blood in the water?  Oh, he’ll still do a ton of damage but not nearly as much as he would have.

We have to take what we can get. Keep an eye on the upcoming budget fight because I think it will tell us a lot about what GOPers on Capitol Hill think of Trump and the effect he could have on each one of THEM next year.