According to a report from Politico's Natalie Allison, former president Donald Trump has found himself in a bit of a bind after endorsing Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) as the GOP nominee for an open U.S. Senate seat representing Alabama, then un-endorsing him, then watching him head to a run-off after a recent primary due to Trump's own supporters giving him a major late boost.
What has compounded the problem is a recent Brooks interview where he insisted the former president had the 2020 presidential election stolen from him which struck a chord with both the former president and his supporters.
As Allison reports, now Trump wants to look at new polling out of Alabama and faces the dilemma of possibly looking fickle and endorsing Brooks yet again because he needs another win to bolster his image as a kingmaker.
According to the report, "The former president, who endorsed Brooks in the Alabama Senate GOP primary before ditching him as his campaign floundered, was pleased by Brooks’ performance during the exchange, according to two people close with the former president. Other top MAGA figures also heaped praise on Brooks, including Steve Bannon, who posted on Gettr Sunday that 'Mo Brooks FINALLY GOT THE MEMO!!!!!!'" the report states before adding, "Brooks’ return to MAGA’s good graces has placed Trump in an awkward position."
As the report notes, Trump is undecided about jumping into the fray again in a race that Brooks could still lose -- but he is also torn about turning his back on one of his most stalwart defenders.
According to Alabama GOP strategist Jon Gray, "I don’t see any upside to him getting in, honestly."
Politico's report adds that a person close to the former president suggested, "... that it’s unlikely Trump sits out. If Trump were to turn around and re-endorse Brooks, he could make the argument that pulling the endorsement two months ago 'taught him a lesson,' the person said, and that 'Mo got straight and has been very strong since' on his rhetoric about the 2020 election."
"For Trump, Alabama is an important state to get right in the wake of a series of losses in three gubernatorial primaries. It’s a conservative bastion that he easily won twice, but where his endorsement record is mixed — and in need of vindication," Politico's Allison added.
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