Donald Trump would have people believe that his endorsement can effectively dictate election outcomes. The president expresses a preference, and voters, especially in GOP primaries, obey his directive without question.
“If I endorse a person, they win,” Trump said last year. “With the Republican Party, it’s like 399-0. Think of that.”
He added in March, “It is such an honor to realize and say that almost everyone I Endorse WINS, and wins by a lot.”
For the president, this is about more than just ego. The more he convinces GOP officials and candidates that he can advance or end their careers with the snap of his fingers, the more he can demand their loyalty and obedience. After all, if Trump’s boasts are correct, they’re one X post away from unemployment, so it’s in their professional interests to be as sycophantic as possible.
The president’s boasts, however, are not correct at all. As we were reminded again this week, six Trump-backed Republicans have lost in primaries just this month, and 10 have lost so far this election cycle.
How does he explain these embarrassing setbacks? With a series of unpersuasive excuses.
Excuse #1: People don’t realize that Trump was secretly against the guy he endorsed: Rep. Cory Mills lost his GOP primary this week by 13 points despite enjoying the president’s support. A day later, Trump claimed by way of his social media platform that he privately told the scandal-plagued congressman “to get out of the Race,” but Mills “wouldn’t listen.”
In other words, the president publicly endorsed Mills, but we’re supposed to believe that privately, he did the smart and responsible thing, so his failed endorsement shouldn’t be held against him.
Among the problems here is the simple fact that Trump could have denounced Mills (as other prominent Florida Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, did before the primary), but he chose not to.
Excuse #2: Trump is just too nice: After Rep. Andy Ogles lost a GOP primary in Tennessee despite the president’s support, Trump wrote online that he “remained loyal” to the scandal-plagued congressman, even though he knew all along that Ogles “had virtually no chance of winning.”
Excuse #3: Trump is sometimes led astray by those who he mistakenly trusts: After Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa lost a Republican gubernatorial primary, the president said he had not been “given the proper information.” He didn’t elaborate as to who exactly had failed him, but the point was obvious: We weren’t supposed to blame Trump for the fact that GOP primary voters ignored his choice.
Excuse #4: Trump hardly remembers endorsing losing candidates: In February, Democrats flipped a state Senate seat in Texas, defeating a Trump-backed candidate. Asked about the outcome, the president told reporters, “I didn’t hear about it. Somebody ran where?” Reminded of the relevant details, Trump added, “I’m not involved with that.”
He’d publicly endorsed the GOP candidate several times, including literally one day earlier.
Excuse #5: Trump’s failures were successes in disguise: In Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary, the president backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who ended up losing to healthcare executive Rick Jackson. Soon after, the president published an item to his social media platform that read, “Congratulations to Rick Jackson, who very successfully campaigned on being ‘TRUMP,’ and won. He will be your next Governor of Georgia. Can’t wait!” About an hour later, the president added another online item that read in part, “Rick Jackson ran a great TRUMP Campaign. Very smart! Was with me on Saturday Night making a pitch. Amazing!!!”
In other words, the president wants the public to believe this doesn’t belong in his L column despite the inconvenient fact that the Republican primary voters nominated the candidate who didn’t receive his endorsement.
Over the next few weeks, six states will hold the final round of primaries, so this list may yet grow. Watch this space.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
The post Trump’s 5 favorite excuses for his many failed 2026 endorsements appeared first on MS NOW.
