Donald Trump Bitterly Endorses Ohio Senate Candidate and Former Trump Hater JD Vance

Former President Donald Trump on Friday gave his second controversial endorsement in as many weeks, offering a lifeline to the venture capitalist and native’s struggling Senate campaign. Ohio J.D. Vance.

But the endorsement, which arrives at 5pm on Good Friday, is not without some typical Trump bitterness.

“Like some of the others, JD Vance may have said some not-so-great things about me in the past, but he gets it now and I’ve seen it sporadically,” Trump said. said in its endorsement statement, emphasizing that Vance was “our best chance of winning” in the race.

“In Ohio State, the most qualified and poised to win in November is J.D. Vance,” the statement said. “We can’t play the game. It’s all about winning! ”

Trump seems preoccupied with the most prominent criticisms of Vance, regarding Vance’s many attacks on Trump’s personality and policies during the 2016 election. Those remarks have stymied his campaign. Vance from the start, and it has long seemed like the only thing that can dispel them is Trump’s own forgiveness and blessings.

“This has not been an easy endorsement for me because I like and respect some of the other candidates in the race — they have said great things about ‘Trump’ and like me, they love Ohio and love our country,” the statement said, later going on to call those opponents “pretenders and wanters”.

Trump has avoided approval in the crowded primaries for quite some time, not letting any of the candidates naturally shine. The contest has been a “race to the bottom” for months, marked by fierce infighting for the MAGA vote.

By far, Vance, a wealthy tech investor whose 2016 memoir has made a name for himself, is the biggest loser in that war, trailing behind frontrunner Mike Gibbons and former state treasurer Josh Mandel.

In February, Politico reported that an internal poll had concluded Vance was in “rapid decline” and “needs a course correction as soon as possible.” Poll respondents said it was “still ideologically biased,” adding that “driving his negativity is the perception that he’s anti-Trump.”

Still, the poll says an endorsement of Trump could triple Vance’s chances in the state.

While Vance got what he wanted, it’s unclear how MAGAverse will receive the move, especially in light of last week’s backlash to Trump’s endorsement of Dr. Oz in the race. to the Pennsylvania Senate.

And Trump’s own statement seems to be aware of this fact.

“Ohio has been good to me, I’ve won it twice, really BIG, and I’ve been GREAT for Ohio too,” Trump said. “Please continue!”