Could Republican infighting derail America First candidate in the 2022 midterms?
On March 23, 2022 former President Donald Trump withdrew his endorsement of Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks for his U.S. Senate campaign. Trump pulled his endorsement of the Alabama congressman for not fully backing the narrative that the 2020 election was stolen.
In a statement he released on March 23, Trump labeled Brooks as “woke” and alluded to comments that Brooks made at a rally in Cullman, Alabama back inAugust 2021, where Brooks supported Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen. However, Brooks told the crowd to “put that behind you” and focus on future elections.
“When I heard his statement, I said, ‘Mo, you just blew the Election, and there’s nothing you can do about it,'” Trump highlighted in his statement. “Very sad but, since he decided to go in another direction, so have I, and I am hereby withdrawing my endorsement of Mo Brooks for the Senate. I don’t think the great people of Alabama will disagree with me.”
Such a move could prove fatal for Brooks’ Senate bid for the US Senate. Brooks heavily relied on Trump’s endorsement throughout his campaign advertising.
In a statement he released on March 23, Brooks blamed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for manipulating him and claimed that Trump had asked the Alabama congressman to help him “immediately rescind” the November 2020 election. Instead, a special election would be held to re-elect Trump. Brooks reiterated that he told Trump multiple times that the 2020 election could not be overturned after January 6, 2021.
“I’ve told President Trump the truth knowing full well that it might cause President Trump to rescind his endorsement,” Brooks’ statement noted. “But I took a sworn oath to defend and protect the U.S. Constitution. I honor my oath. That is the way I am. I break my sworn oath for no man.”
Brooks has been a major proponent of the theory that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Back in April, Brooks received Trump’s endorsement. At the time, Trump declared that Brooks would support “America First no matter what obstacles the fake news media, RINOs, or socialist Democrats may place in his path.”
While speaking at the Cullman rally back in August, Brooks did not back off his stolen election claim, but he did tell the crowd to move on,
“There are some people who are despondent about the voter fraud and election theft in 2020,” Folks, put that behind you,” Brooks stated. “Yes. Look forward. Look forward. Look forward. Beat them in 2022. Beat them in 2024.”
Brooks is looking to take outgoing Republican Senator Richard Shelby’s seat. The Alabama state primary is set to go down on May 24.
Despite Trump pulling his endorsement, Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie still supports Brooks’ campaign for Senate. On March 23, Massie tweeted “Massie is still supporting Brooks in his bid for Alabama Senate.”
.@MoBrooks is the true conservative we need in the US Senate. Mo will always have my support. https://t.co/nSsThPgIKM
— Thomas Massie for Congress (@MassieforKY) March 23, 2022
Brooks is known as a strong America First patriot who is one of the leading voices of immigration restriction in Congress.
Like Massie, Brooks is a staunch immigration patriot. According to immigration reduction organization NumbersUSA, Brooks and Massie have A+ and A grades for immigration reduction respectively.
Politically speaking, Brooks perhaps made a mistake by downplaying election fraud. However, Trump should have not thrown Brooks under the bus like that. Instead, Trump should have pulled Brooks to the side and made it known in private that his statement was out of line. Such mishaps can be handled behind the scenes. There is no need to make public scenes out of small mistakes.
When the Left continues to accumulate power and is relentlessly working to transform America, the Right cannot afford to get into petty, internecine struggles.
