Donald Trump appears to take a great deal of pride in the power of endorsement and his professed ability to singlehandedly choose election winners, especially in Republican primaries. Last September, for example, the president said, “Do you know, almost every single person I’ve endorsed has won? I can’t think of anyone who hasn’t. If I endorse a person, they win. … With the Republican Party, it’s like, 399-0. Think of that.”
As recently as March, he added, “My Endorsements within the Republican Party have been virtually insurmountable! It is such an honor to realize and say that almost everyone I Endorse WINS, and wins by a lot.”
As it turns out, the word “virtually” was doing more work there than it could handle.
Two weeks ago, in Iowa’s gubernatorial race, Trump threw his support behind Rep. Randy Feenstra, who narrowly lost his Republican primary to Zach Lahn. This week, it happened again. MS NOW reported:
Healthcare executive Rick Jackson clinched the Republican gubernatorial nomination on Tuesday, pulling off a win over Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and securing a spot in the November election against Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms. […]
Jackson, a businessman who entered politics as an outsider candidate, sought to position himself as an alternative to career politicians.
Trump endorsed Jones, the incumbent lieutenant governor, who ended up losing his primary bid by roughly five points.
When a Republican backed by the president ends up losing, which happens more than he likes to admit, Trump tends to respond in one of three ways.