Former President Donald Trump is growing frustrated with the lack of endorsement from former White House Press Secretary and current Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, according to Axios.
Sanders told Trump she wouldn’t back anyone until after Arkansas’ legislative session ended in May, which has left the former president wondering where his endorsement is, two people familiar with the conversations told Axios. Trump is particularly frustrated with Sanders’ lack of support since she served in his administration for two years and he endorsed her gubernatorial bid the day she launched her candidacy.
“You should always dance with the person who brought you,” a Trump ally told Axios of the former president’s thinking.
Trump called Sanders earlier this year asking for her endorsement, The New York Times reported in early March. Trump denied the NYT’s reporting in a Truth Social post and said he doesn’t “generally ask” for endorsements, he gives them. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sanders’ father who ran against Trump in 2016, threw his support behind the former president’s 2024 bid weeks later.
“Governor Sanders loves President Trump and believes our country would be much better off under his leadership than President Biden, and that President Trump is the dominant frontrunner and our likely Republican nominee in 2024,” Alexa Henning, Sanders’ communications director, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. “The Governor is focused right now on implementing the bold, transformational reforms she promised during her campaign and delivered in her first legislative session, not 2024 much less any election after that.”
Trump expressed his frustration last week with another Republican state executive, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, for not endorsing him in the primary and remaining neutral. He argued that he “opened up” the governor’s seat for Reynolds, as he appointed then-Gov. Terry Branstad as U.S. Ambassador to China in 2017, and said his endorsement in 2018 and 2022 helped her get elected.
The RealClearPolitics (RCP) average for a 2024 national Republican primary, based on polls conducted between June 16 and July 16, indicates Trump leads the crowded field of GOP candidates by nearly 34 points, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 20.2% support.
Trump did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
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