Now, there is certainly no denying that Donald Trump expects blind loyalty, devotion, and support from those he considers his allies. However, he doesn’t always get it.
Just earlier today, we reported on Trump’s nasty attitude following Lindsey Graham’s rather public disagreement with the ex-president on the topic of potential pardons for January 6th Capitol rioters should Trump ultimately worm his way back into the White House. And now it seems Graham isn’t going to be the only Republican to find themselves at odds with Donald Trump this week.
Additional close allies to the former president are now daring to publicly push back against Donald Trump after he endorsed a former administration aide instead of a conservative influencer that the far-Right finds very popular and has had their eye on for some time now.
Yesterday, Trump officially announced his endorsement (which he believes is worth its weight in gold) of former State Department spokeswoman and Fox News contributor Morgan Ortagus in the impending Republican primary in Tennessee’s 5th congressional district.
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In his statement announcing the endorsement, Trump said, “Morgan was fantastic in her role working with Secretary Mike Pompeo at the U.S. State Department and understands the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and others, and will be tough, not just roll over like the Democrats and RINOs. She won’t bow to the Woke Mob or the Leftist LameStream Media. Morgan Ortagus will have my Complete and Total Endorsement if she decides to run!”
However, Trump’s support for Ortagus was not met with the typical agreeance he sees from his allies. Instead, some of the ex-president’s most devout and loyal supporters responded to the endorsement with immediate, albeit off-the-cuff and unusual pushback.
Conservative pundit Candace Owens was quick to tweet, “Nope. Trump has this completely wrong,” before adding that the “correct pick” would’ve been former music video producer Robby Starbuck, who’s running in the district as a pro-MAGA Republican.
Nope. Trump has this completely wrong. @robbystarbuck is the correct pick for Tennessee’s 5th district and Tennesseans have his back. https://t.co/pIWXYyYanb
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) January 26, 2022
Both former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka and former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis expressed similar disappointment in the former president’s endorsement.
Starbuck’s platform is your typical MAGA territory too, as he peddles for things such as crack downs on ballot access, so-called Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ rights, and Big Tech companies.
Trump-loving House Rep. Madison Cawthorn tweeted, “I endorsed [Starbuck] months ago and I stand by my endorsement.”
“I endorsed Robby months ago & believe he’s exactly what we need in these difficult times,” Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake who is backed by Trump herself said in response to Donald’s newest endorsement. “He’s a God-fearing man who loves his wonderful family — he’s a true ‘citizen politician.'”
Thus far, it’s extremely unclear as to why Trump would choose Ortagus over Starbuck, as his endorsed candidate actually referred to Trump as “disgusting” during the 2016 election, before going on to join his administration.
You can read a full report on the Republican response to Trump’s recent endorsement from Salon here.
Featured image via Political Tribune gallery
