- Trump enjoyed the chaos caused by his vague endorsement in Missouri's primary, Rolling Stone said.
- Trump reveled in watching both candidates named Eric duke it out, a source told the outlet.
Former President Donald Trump privately reveled in the chaos sparked by the vague endorsement message he posted that appeared to support two Missouri GOP primary candidates named Eric, Rolling Stone reported on Tuesday.
The outlet spoke with a person close to Trump who said the former president had enjoyed watching the candidates — Eric Greitens and Eric Schmitt — rush to claim the endorsement.
According to Rolling Stone, the source said Trump "thought it was a thing of beauty and too goddamn funny" to watch the situation unfold.
On Monday, Trump appeared to endorse Greitens and Schmitt in a post on Truth Social but was ambiguous about which Eric he was supporting.
"I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" Trump wrote in his post.
Schmitt, the state's attorney general, and Greitens, a former governor, scrambled to assert that Trump was referring to them.
Politico reported that Trump made the strange endorsement because he had run out of time after imposing a deadline on himself to decide between Greitens and Schmitt.
According to the outlet, an unnamed third party had floated the idea that Trump leave the statement ambiguous and endorse "Eric" without giving a last name.
Politico's sources said Trump went for the double-endorsement plan after making sure the candidates' first names were identical.
Decision Desk HQ has called the race for Schmitt, who early this morning pulled away from Greitens with 45.7% of the vote compared with the latter's 19.22%.
Greitens' defeat could represent a victory from factions of the GOP who did not want the MAGA-linked candidate to win his race.
Missouri Republicans, for one, ran attack ads against Greitens, who was accused of blackmail by a woman with whom he had an affair and of domestic abuse by his ex-wife.
Trump's endorsement record has come under scrutiny amid the GOP midterm primaries, especially in the wake of the bombshell testimonies heard during the House hearings on the former president's conduct on the day of the Capitol riot.
High-profile GOP figures like former Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Ted Cruz also appear to have broken away from the former president by throwing their weight behind opponents of Trump-backed candidates.
But a Trump endorsement appears to still hold some sway among the ranks of the MAGA faithful.
For instance, Rep. Mo Brooks, a former Trumpworld loyalist, unsuccessfully appealed to Trump for a re-endorsement. This was after Trump rescinded his backing of Brooks in March, saying the congressman "went woke" over the 2020 election.
In May, Trump said his endorsement record was "unparalleled" and that Republican candidates should fear him and fall in line. But Trump appears to have a habit of endorsing candidates who would win without his support, while his riskier picks like JD Vance and Mehmet Oz, aka Dr. Oz, have enraged some of his supporters.