Trump inner circle distances itself from Madison Cawthorn: 'I don't see MAGA voters being quite this forgiving'
On Friday, The New York Timesreported that Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) is starting to lose support from former President Donald Trump's allies as scandals continue to mount.
"The deluge of revelations and charges have left him on an island even within his own party," reported Jonathan Weisman and Annie Karni. "A political group supporting Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, has been pouring money into an ad campaign accusing Mr. Cawthorn of being a fame-seeking liar. The group is supporting the campaign of a more mainstream Republican, State Senator Chuck Edwards, who is running against Mr. Cawthorn. And the far-right, anti-establishment wing of the party now views the first-term congressman with similar skepticism, as someone who is falsely selling himself as a gatekeeper in his state to former President Donald J. Trump."
In recent weeks, Cawthorn has been accused of violating insider trading laws for an anti-Biden cryptocurrency scheme, pulled over for driving on a suspended license, stopped while trying to bring a gun through an airport security checkpoint for the second time, and images have circulated of him partying in women's lingerie.
For Cawthorn's part, he claims he has been set up by the "establishment" in his own party, and there is no indication Trump himself has backed off his endorsement of his re-election — but Trump allies are saying the damage has been done.
"The far-right wing of the party once viewed Mr. Cawthorn, a telegenic congressman who uses a wheelchair after a car crash at the age of 18, as a young leader with potential. Now its members keep him at arm’s length and view him as a troubled individual who isn’t always aligned with the base on the issues," said the report. "They describe Mr. Cawthorn as someone who is 'Twitter famous,' but who does not work the district and lacks grass-roots support at home. Many of them have noted that even Donald Trump Jr., a popular figure on the right, has stayed quiet and made no attempt to come to his defense."
“I don’t see MAGA voters being quite this forgiving,” said longtime Trump adviser Jason Miller.
North Carolina officials, amid all this, appear to be coalescing behind one of Cawthorn's rivals, with legislative GOP leaders coalescing around state Sen. Chuck Edwards.
You can read more here.
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