As Donald Trump continues to dish out endorsements with the November midterms just over the horizon, Bloomberg's Jonathan Bernstein suggested that the former president, seeking to appear to be a kingmaker, may find that some of his choices may turn on him at a later date.
With reports that Trump's influence within the Republican party is starting to fade, Bernstein pointed out that a large majority of Trump's picks are incumbents which would increase his chances of picking winners that he could then brag about.
However, the longtime political observer noted that Trump's desire for wins may not translate into loyalty for him down the road -- particularly if he makes another presidential bid in 2024.
The problem, he notes, is that the former president has a habit of picking potential candidates more on loyalty to him than on any policy agreements and, when push comes to shove, those lawmakers may break with him when it comes time to vote on their own interests.
According to the columnists, Trump's picks are likely to be shortsighted as he looks for conservatives whose only qualification is that they might be able to oust one of his GOP enemies running for re-election.
"Candidates seeking Trump’s endorsement may not necessarily continue to support him if they win. We’ve seen this throughout Trump’s political career," Bernstein wrote. "He doesn’t generally trade his backing for policy commitments or even specific forms of support. Instead, he seems to expect absolute loyalty from those whom he has endorsed, or those he named to his administration, only to have them refuse to go along with him on something — after which he denounces them and often severs the relationship."
"In other words," he elaborated, "while some of those Trump endorsees will surely stay loyal, others will turn out to have been using him when it was convenient and will support him only if it remains in their self-interest. This is, of course, normal U.S. politics, but Trump seems very good at blinding people to that."
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