President Donald Trump is reportedly withholding his endorsement of a Republican candidate in the Texas Senate primary race until lawmakers pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, according to a report.
“Two people close to the White House” told Politico that while Trump was “prepared to quickly endorse” incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), he is waiting to make an endorsement in the race, which is advancing to a runoff between Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Trump’s reported decision comes after Paxton, on Thursday, said he “would consider dropping out” of the race if the Senate would “agree to lift the filibuster” and pass the SAVE America Act.
“John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill,” Paxton wrote in a post on X. “Now, Fake News reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation. The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare.”
Per Politico, one of the people, “an operative close to the White House,” told the outlet that what Paxton said “was a very smart strategy because it bought time”:
Paxton’s last-ditch gamble highlighted an area where he agrees with Trump while poking at a sore spot between the president and Senate Republican leaders who have been begging Trump for months to back Cornyn. And it changed the dynamics inside the White House, according to the two people, an operative close to the White House and an administration ally.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
“I think that was a very smart strategy because it bought time. Because now, if you’re the White House or Trump, why would you now weigh in?” said the Republican operative. “Trump has remained very steadfast that he wants this done, and that is a huge priority, and he’s getting pissed off at these members and at [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune.”
Breitbart News Deputy Political Editor Bradley Jaye reported that the race between Cornyn and Paxton will be going to a runoff after the two of them defeated Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX):
The race was called by the Associated Press (AP) at 10:50 am ET. With an estimated 65.8 percent of the vote in, Cornyn led with 658,274 votes, 42.5 percent to Paxton’s 632,472 votes, 40.8 percent.
Rep. Wesley Hunt finished a distant third with around 13 percent of the projected vote and will be out of office upon the completion of his current House term.
The Washington Republican establishment, led by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of Senate Republicans, pulled out all the stops to support Cornyn, making the race the most expensive Senate primary in history. Cornyn and his allies spent tens of millions to boost Cornyn and attack Paxton and Hunt.
In a post on Truth Social after the race, Trump stated that he would make his endorsement “soon,” adding that whoever he does not endorse, he would ask “to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE.”
“My Endorsements within the Republican Party have been virtually insurmountable!” Trump wrote. “It is such an honor to realize and say that almost everyone I endorse WINS, and wins by a lot, especially in Texas! I will be making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE! Is that fair? We must win in November!”