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On a recent Wednesday afternoon at his Mar-a-Lago club, former President Donald Trump boasted a guest dinner at his courtyard: David McCormick, a former CEO of a hedge fund running for the Pennsylvania Senate, who was there. at 16:00. meeting in search of his approval.
McCormick, who was at or close to the lead in recent polls, left the meeting, saying it went well. But days later, Trump backed his rival, Mehmet Oz, longtime “Dr. Oz is a television personality who has launched his own massive lobbying effort that brings together people like Melania Trump, Fox News presenter Sean Hannity and hotelier Steve Winn.
Trump’s decision, against the advice of some of his advisers, plunged the former president deep into a confused primary election, sparking a feud between some of his own advisers, along with significant reaction from many other Republicans.
“I’m a gambler,” Trump said, explaining to an adviser why he wanted to run in the Pennsylvania race, according to a man who heard his comments and who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to open private discussions.
With his support for Oz, Senate nominee Ted Budd in North Carolina, Gov. David Purdue in Georgia and on Friday, author and Senate nominee JD Vance in Ohio, Trump jumped in the middle of several competitive primary elections that could to put the image he wanted as the creator of kings at risk.
In key contests, Trump’s statements have not cleared the field as they once did – and some advisers fear he has diluted his approval by supporting hundreds of candidates, some for low-level positions, for their willingness to support his false allegations of fraudulent elections.
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The fate of his candidates is being closely monitored by his own party, including potential rivals for the 2024 presidential nomination, as a measure of how strong he remains in the GOP. Trump has taken a different approach than many other presidential candidates, jumping into confusing races and hunting for battles in critical states instead of making safe approvals and staying away from the Republican primary. He sometimes selected candidates who fell behind in the polls and took advice from a mix of informal and formal advisers, real estate friends, consultants, Mar-a-Lago members and others to make choices.
“The biggest way to defeat him is to cut off the notion in the election that he is the most powerful approval in the country. He is still like that, but smart operatives have to play against him in competitions where he makes stupid approvals, “said Alice Farah Griffin, a former director of communications at Trump’s White House who has become a critic.
In at least one high-profile case, Trump was cautious in rejecting Alabama Senate nominee Mo Brooks as approved when Brooks faded in the polls after seeing his first Pennsylvania approval, Sean Parnell, withdraw from the race.
But in other races he continues to lean. He is likely to support candidates in several more competitive primary elections, although some around him say he is willing to take risks they would not. Councilors say he wants to hold rallies in almost every key state where he has approved.
Trump backed Vance in Ohio on Friday afternoon against the wishes of some of his advisers – who work for other candidates in the race – and challenged the approval, citing Vance’s negative comments about Trump in the past. Candidates and operatives also lobbied more than two dozen GOP County presidents in Ohio to sign a letter opposing Vance’s approval. Trump received so many calls that he stopped taking them on Friday, an adviser said.
“I don’t want him to take the wrong step because of him,” said Dave Johnson, chairman of the District of Columbia Republican and a Trump supporter who makes ceramic tiles resembling the former president on them. “I think that will have the opposite effect on Trump, and if he runs in 2024, I want Ohio to remain Trump’s strength,” he said.
The race is crowded and Vance is behind in many polls. But Vance has the support of the eponymous son of the president and billionaire technology guru Peter Thiel, among others, and Trump was willing to take the risk because he believes he can get Vance above the top, an adviser said.
“Everything is for victory! … Like some others, JD Vance may have said some not-so-great things about me in the past, but he understands it now and I’ve seen it in spades. “It’s our best chance of winning a very difficult race,” Trump said in a statement.
He added: “It’s not easy for me to approve because I like and respect some of the other candidates in the race – they said great things about Trump and like me they love Ohio and they love our country.”
Trump’s approval maneuvers also pitted many of his longtime advisers – including several of the salaries of the super-rich McCormick – against his favorite candidates in other competitions. A nod from Pennsylvania and Ohio effectively put his name on the ballot in two of the country’s hottest primary elections.
Several advisers said his countless approvals posed challenges to his political operation, which has a small staff. Although Trump has more than $ 120 million in his PAC, he has ordinary staff and is not willing to spend money, advisers say. “I hope it will slow down now,” said a loved one.
But Trump has been described by many advisers as determined to maintain his dominant GOP status – and believes he can influence the race like no one else. He also likes to approve candidates, councilors say, just to see their numbers dwindle.
The former president blew the cavalcade of seekers of approval in an April 6 interview with The Washington Post in Mar-a-Lago, checking how many visitors he had – and how many they wanted from him. “I am the king of approvals,” he said, with unconfirmed figures on how many political candidates, both foreign and local, rise in opinion polls when he supports them. “Everyone wants one.”
Although he says he has not decided to run for president in 2024, he has signaled to councilors that he will do so – and that he believes the key to maintaining his position in the party is to show that he can Support your favorite candidates and defeat your enemies. “Rice is crumbling in South Carolina,” Trump said in an interview with the Post, referring to MP Tom Rice (R), who voted for his impeachment. He then boasted that he was winning or would win all those who voted for his impeachment, but did not pay attention to the battles of some of the candidates he supported.
Even his critics say Trump’s support remains the most influential in the Republican Party. Intense irritation over his support among candidates and operatives has only intensified in recent months as those who want to kiss Trump’s flock visit Palm Beach, Florida.
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“I’m Trump’s candidate for governor,” said Carrie Lake, an Arizona candidate who supports Trump’s false allegations about the election when he appeared in an ad.
In Georgia, David Purdue, Trump’s hired and approved candidate for governor, is struggling to raise money and is far behind Governor Brian Kemp.
“I think a lot of Trump supporters are willing to forgive Trump for being angry if you don’t answer. Because if you attack Trump, you are no better than the left, “said a Republican operative loyal to Kemp.
Trump’s approval, even in states with significant Republican power, is not a stalemate. A recent study by the University of Georgia found a small change in the preferences of Republican primary voters in the gubernatorial race when people were informed of Trump’s support. Kemp’s support fell by 1.7 percentage points among voters who said they supported Trump, leaving him seven points ahead of Purdue.
Georgia’s gubernatorial race is not the only race in the state in which a supporter of Trump could fall when Republicans go to the polls on May 24. Trump-backed candidates for vice governor, insurance commissioner, attorney general and Congress face severe primary challenges. Trump’s candidate for secretary of state, MP Jody Hayes, is also fighting a tough race to oust incumbent President Brad Rafensperger.
“This is remarkable in Georgia, which is still quite a Republican state, he will probably take Herschel Walker and that may be all of his approved candidates. Brad Rafensperger looks set to win, “said Eric Erickson, a prominent Georgia conservative and radio host. “Georgia Republicans say it’s time to move on.
“Even people who really disagree with him about the election – they really think they’ve been stolen – they still like Kemp’s policies and they like him. This is one of those things where people realize that there are sour grapes here with Trump. As much as they like Trump, they will not stand by Trump’s man when Brian Kemp is their man.
Bud, Trump’s candidate in North Carolina, has improved in polls, but Trump’s efforts to clear the field and force others to drop out have failed.
Advisers to several other potential presidential candidates said they were closely monitoring Trump’s approvals to assess signs of weakness. “If he loses in Pennsylvania and loses in Georgia, you have a much weaker Trump in 2024,” said a rival camp man. Some of McCormick’s allies began to emphasize the whole reaction to his approval – hoping to overcome it.
Brooks from Alabama, whose campaign was recently stopped by Trump, who withdrew his approval, …
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