Something went badly wrong inside Trump’s own political operation.
Trump was handed a stunning defeat.
And what Trump admitted about his advisors when asked about the Iowa collapse will leave you stunned.
As West Wing Daily reports:
President Trump’s endorsement is the gold standard in Republican politics.
When Trump picks a horse in a GOP race, Republican voters trust that the candidate Trump selected is the one who will fight for his America First agenda.
This primary cycle also proved that the Republican base has no time for anyone who seeks to obstruct the Trump agenda or cause problems in Congress.
President Trump put his unbeaten endorsement record on the line when he backed GOP Congressman Randy Feenstra in the Iowa Republican Gubernatorial primary.
“As your next Governor, Randy will fight tirelessly to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Champion our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Empower Ethanol, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Strengthen our incredible Military, Veterans, and Law Enforcement, Advance Election Integrity, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump posted on Truth Social when he announced he was supporting Feenstra.
This was an odd endorsement as Feenstra was the type of establishment RINO that Trump usually sought to beat in primaries.
Feenstra influenced the MAHA movement by siding with Big Ag to support the herbicide glyphosate, which MAHA advocates linked to increased cancer rates.
And Feenstra also voted against an amendment to defund Joe Biden’s car kill switch, which is government-mandated technology to shut down vehicles.
Iowa political pundits like Steve Deace warned that Feenstra was a terrible candidate who would lose the election to Democrat Rob Sand.
In a stunning upset, farmer Zach Lahn defeated Feenstra to make this the first time this cycle a Trump-backed candidate lost a primary.
Lahn mobilized the MAHA movement and the MAGA base with his authentic support for their agendas.
“Do you regret endorsing Randy Feenstra?” a reporter asked Trump during an Oval Office event.
In a surprising turn of events, Trump admitted as much and told the press that Lahn was the authentic Trump candidate in the race, but that he was misled by his advisors into making the Feenstra endorsement.
“The man running against him was all Trump. He was the only one out of hundreds of races, hundreds, I’m glad she brought it up. … There’s a gentleman in [Iowa] I endorsed who was much less Trump than the other man that won, as you know. Had I been given the proper information, which I don’t think I was, I probably would have endorsed the other person or not endorsed at all, but I would have endorsed the other person. The other person was much more Trump, as you know, than Randy,” Trump stated.
One of the major battles in both Trump administrations has been keeping swamp consultants and loyalists from infiltrating the team.
Trump can’t be expected to keep tabs on all 535 House and Senate races, all 50 gubernatorial elections, and the thousands of state house seats up each cycle.
The President depends on his political operation to vet the candidates and recommend whom to endorse.
In this case, the President’s lieutenants failed him.
