Former President Donald Trump announced Friday that he was backing Republican U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt in her race against Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama in the upcoming Alabama Republican primary run-off elections.
“Last year I endorsed Mo Brooks for the U.S. Senate because I thought he was a Fighter, especially when it came to the Rigged and Stolen Presidential Election of 2020,” Trump said in a news release, slamming Brooks as “woke,” Newsweek reported.
“Then, out of nowhere, and for seemingly no reason, Mo backtracked and made a big mistake by going Woke at our massive Cullman, Alabama Rally,” Trump continued.
“He foolishly started listening to the wrong consultants and not to the people, and his 54-point lead evaporated overnight. Likewise, his words caused me to withdraw my Endorsement, and Mo has been wanting it back ever since — but I cannot give it to him!” Trump said, according to The Hill.
“Katie Strongly Supports our under siege Second Amendment, Stands Up for Parental Rights, and Will Fight for our Military, our Vets, and Election Integrity. Above all, Katie Britt will never let you down,” Trump added.
Trending:
Trump had rescinded his earlier backing of Brooks in March after Brooks expressed doubt about Trump’s claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 presidential elections.
Brooks told supporters at an August rally in Culman, Alabama, last year that the time had come to move on from the 2020 elections. Until then, the representative from Alabama had presented himself as a strong Trump ally vis-a-vis Trump’s election fraud claims.
In a March news conference, Brooks justified his August comments, telling reporters that Trump “wanted the election rescinded and a do-over. But there’s no legal way to do it,” The Associated Press.
Will Trump’s endorsement be what Britt needs to win?
Despite defending his comments against Trump’s criticism, Brooks tried to court the former president to win back his support, but to no avail.
“President Trump knows that Alabamians are sick and tired of failed, do-nothing career politicians,” Britt tweeted Friday to welcome Trump’s backing. “In the Senate, I will fight to defend Alabama’s values, advance the America First agenda, and preserve the American Dream for generations to come.”
President Trump knows that Alabamians are sick and tired of failed, do-nothing career politicians.
In the Senate, I will fight to defend Alabama’s values, advance the America First agenda, and preserve the American Dream for generations to come. #alsenhttps://t.co/sfBxHkhA1w
— Katie Britt for AL (@KatieBrittforAL) June 11, 2022
Trump’s praise of Britt and his description of the Alabama candidate as a “fearless America First Warrior” in his Friday statement stood in stark contrast to earlier comments that she was “not what Alabama wants,” The Associated Press reported.
Trump clearly considers himself a major kingmaker among Republicans even 17 months after leaving office, although results of his endorsements have been mixed.
Thanks in part to his endorsement, Mehmet Oz, an unlikely Republican senate candidate, recently beat his opponent Dave McCormick in the Pennsylvania GOP primary, but Trump’s influential role within the party has been a source of dismay for the GOP’s establishment wing.
The primary run-offs on June 21 will decide whether Britt or Brooks becomes the Republican candidate in the Alabama senatorial race.
Britt has been running on a platform of “Alabama First,” prioritizing the interests of Alabama residents.
She has expressed support for the sanctity of life in the debate on abortion, America’s partnership with Israel, local job creation and federal fiscal restraint.
