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Trump rescinds his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks, saying he 'went woke' on the 2020 election

Mar 23, 2022, 23:54 IST
Business Insider
Republican Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, who's now running for Senate, with former President Donald Trump at a rally in Cullman, Alabama on August 21, 2021.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
  • Trump rescinded his endorsement of Alabama Senate candidate Mo Brooks.
  • Trump accused Brooks of going "woke" by saying Republicans should look ahead and not back at 2020.
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Former President Donald Trump formally rescinded his endorsement for Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama's senate race, calling the congressman "woke" for saying that Republicans should move on and look past the 2020 election.

Trump backed Brooks, one of his close congressional allies in his failed effort to overturn his 2020 election loss, early on in the race to replace retiring GOP Sen. Richard Shelby.

But despite Brooks' former loyalty, Trump has increasingly soured on the Alabama congressman over his poor fundraising and poll numbers, openly airing some of his frustrations in a recent interview with the Washington Examiner.

"When I endorsed Mo Brooks, he took a 44-point lead and was unstoppable. He then hired campaign staff who 'brilliantly' convinced him to 'stop talking about the 2020 election.' He listened to them. Then, according to the polls, Mo's 44-point lead totally evaporated," Trump said in his Wednesday statement pulling his endorsement.

Trump specifically cited comments Brooks made an August 2021 rally suggesting Republicans should look ahead in 2022 and not focus on relitigating the 2020 election results, which remains a major preoccupation for Trump and a litmus test for candidates who hope to earn his endorsement.

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"There are some people who are despondent about the voter fraud and election theft in 2020," Brooks said at the rally, a statement that got him booed by the crowd. "Folks, put that behind you, put that behind you."

"When I heard his statement, I said, 'Mo, you just blew the Election, and there's nothing you can do about it,'" Trump said. "Very sad but, since he decided to go in another direction, so have I, and I am hereby withdrawing my Endorsement of Mo Brooks for the Senate. I don't think the great people of Alabama will disagree with me."

Trump finished his statement by teasing that he'll be "making a new Endorsement in the near future!"

The other main candidates in the Republican Alabama Senate primary are Katie Britt, a former longtime Shelby aide and chief of staff, and military veteran and businessman Mike Durant. Trump has previously spoken with Britt on the phone and met with her at Mar-a-Lago, his golf club and winter residence in Florida, in February, CNN and Politico reported.

The about-face underscores how Trump will turn on anyone that threatens to make him look like a "loser" — an insult he throws around gleefully but can't stomach personally.

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Back in April 2021 Trump hailed the amount of "COURAGE and FIGHT" in Brooks, praising the MAGA congressman for "fighting for voter integrity (like few others)."

"He will never let you down!" Trump crowed of his one-time favorite.

That faith likely stemmed from the work Brooks put in months earlier to help the embattled former president try and keep his job. Brooks spoke at the "Stop the Steal" rally that immediately preceded the January 6, 2021 siege at the US Capitol, and later that night voted to overturn the 2020 election results to appease Trump.

Shelby broke with Trump on this front early on, naming Britt as his chosen successor. Last fall Shelby committed to spending up to $5 million of his campaign war chest to getting Britt elected.

Brooks' campaign reported having $2 million on hand last month.

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Trump has endorsed 100-plus candidates since leaving office, focusing a lot of his attention on down-ballot races in areas where he tried and failed to overturn the 2020 election results like Arizona, Georgia, and Michigan.

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