Trump nemesis uses Don Jr.'s 'nauseous' attack to his advantage in key Senate race

The thought of Alex Vindman winning a U.S. Senate seat makes Donald Trump Jr. physically ill — and Vindman is betting that's good news for his campaign.

The retired Army lieutenant colonel, who blew the whistle on Trump's 2019 Ukraine phone call and is now running for Senate in Florida, is highlighting a string of attacks from Trump world in a new fundraising push. Trump called him "human scum." Trump Jr. labeled him the "Deep State architect" and said thinking of him in the Senate makes him "nauseous." Elon Musk said he should be arrested and prosecuted for "treason" — with the implied penalty being death.

Vindman's response to all of it: fundraise.

"As someone who's served in the Army, I've dealt with my share of so-called 'tough guys' like them," he wrote in the email. "The ones who will bully you into thinking they're so strong — but it's just because they're so insecure. I'm not afraid of the likes of Donald Trump, Trump Jr., or Elon Musk."

Florida is an expensive state for a Senate race, and Vindman acknowledged that Trump's Super PAC has already raised a record $300 million that could be directed against him. But he noted that polls show he can win — and that Florida will likely determine which party controls the Senate majority.

Vindman first came to national attention in 2019 when he reported Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine to withhold military aid in exchange for investigations into Joe Biden. He was later removed from the National Security Council in what was widely seen as retaliation.

Vindman's email plainly states, "Donald Trump’s son said it makes him 'nauseous' thinking of me in the U.S. Senate. Donate to help us make it a reality."