Trump's JD Vance and Dr. Oz endorsements have divided Republicans, and some of his diehard right-wing supporters are enraged, a report says

• Trump's endorsements of JD Vance and Dr. Oz have been opposed by some Republican groups, AP reported.
• There are calls to boycott Trump's upcoming Ohio rally over his Vance endorsement.

Donald Trump's endorsements of JD Vance and Dr. Mehmet Oz have boosted the candidates and brought in millions in donations, reports say, but they have also triggered a backlash in some conservative circles, said an AP report.

Dozens of Ohio Republicans wrote to Trump before he announced his endorsement of Vance, urging him to change his mind due to the candidate's previous anti-Trump comments.

A major conservative group aligned with a Vance rival also called for a boycott of Trump's upcoming Saturday night rally in Ohio because of the endorsement, AP reported.

"For him to endorse JD Vance really seemed like President Trump was out of touch with what's going on in Ohio and what his supporters here want," Tom Zawistowski, a leader of the group, said, according to AP.

The state's pro-Trump tea party movement reportedly plans a protest outside the rally. Ohio Value Voters told supporters to let Trump know Vance is "wrong for Ohio" by booing when he takes the stage, the outlet reported.

Vance and Oz have been criticized for not being sufficiently committed to the former president and spending large amounts of time outside the states they are running in.

Oz is running in Pennsylvania, despite having lived in New Jersey for two decades, and some party activists have suggested he is not conservative enough on issues such as guns and abortion, AP said.

"The conservative Trumpers are very upset over his endorsement, and they cannot understand it," Arnold McClure, the Republican Party chair in rural Huntingdon County told AP.

"The Trump era is over in Pennsylvania because of his endorsement of Dr. Oz."

Trump's endorsements turbo-charge donations

Trump's decision to endorse the two candidates in the extremely competitive Senate primaries in Ohio and Pennsylvania has also stimulated donations.

Vance's campaign reported a 300% increase in online donations, a majority from new donors, following Trump's endorsement on Good Friday, according to the Associated Press.

Protect Ohio Values, a pro-Vance super PAC, said it has brought in $5 million since Trump's endorsement.

That included $3.5 million from billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel, adding to the $10 million he donated last year, according to Politico.

The "Hillbilly Elegy" author had been trailing in the polls prior to the endorsement, and several Trump-aligned groups such as Club for Growth and Ohio Value Voters have endorsed his rival Josh Mandel, the former state treasurer, AP said.

Trump's surprise endorsement of TV personality Dr. Oz in the race against former hedge fund CEO David McCormick has similarly given the candidate a boost.

The week following the endorsement Oz's campaign brought in nearly three times as much money as it had the week before, making it their best digital fundraising week yet, campaign manager Casey Contres told AP.

It's unclear whether Trump's support will be enough to secure victories for Oz and Vance, but their apparent boost burnishes the former president's reputation as a Republican kingmaker.

The Washington Post previously reported that Trump had gone against some of his advisers by endorsing the risky candidates.