- Trump says he's wavering over his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks in the Alabama Senate race.
- "Mo Brooks is disappointing," Trump told a conservative publication.
- Even with Trump's backing, Brooks has struggled.
Former President Donald Trump is fretting over his endorsement in Alabama's US Senate race and saying that he may switch away from Rep. Mo Brooks, who has been a staunch defender of the president.
"Mo Brooks is disappointing," Trump told the Washington Examiner. "I'm determining right now, has Mo Brooks — has he changed?"
Trump referenced Brooks' comments at an Alabama rally last summer when the lawmaker told attendees to move past the 2020 election. According to a local news report, Brooks was booed by the crowd.
"There are some people who are despondent about the voter fraud and election theft in 2020," Brooks said then, according to AL.com. "Folks, put that behind you, put that behind you."
Months later, Trump said he is still "disappointed" by Brooks' comments.
"I'm disappointed that he gave an inarticulate answer, and I'll have to find out what he means," Trump told the Examiner. "If it meant what he sounded like, I would have no problem changing [my endorsement] because when you endorse somebody, you endorse somebody based on principle. If he changed that principle, I would have no problem doing that."
Trump prides himself over the power of his endorsement and does not like backing losing candidates.
Brooks has long been a major Trump backer. He helped lead the effort to overturn the 2020 election in the House. Brooks was also in communication with a far-right activist who helped organize the Stop the Steal rally on January 6, 2021. Some of the attendees later joined in the insurrection and breached the Capitol itself.
Trump's endorsement, a major get for any Republican, quickly made Brooks the front-runner to replace retiring Sen. Richard Shelby. But Brooks' campaign has struggled to catch fire. He is also not well-liked by the more establishment-friendly arms of the party. Shelby and others have pushed Katie Britt, his former chief of staff.
Independent polling of the race has been scant. But a recent poll by a group that endorsed Britt found that she was leading among Alabama Republicans who are likely to vote in the primary. What is clear is that Britt is easily out-fundraising Brooks. Britt's campaign ended the year with just over $4 million on hand, while Brooks had just under $2 million. Mike Durant, a local businessman, is also running for the seat.
"It's a very tight race between the three of them right now, and I'm not particularly happy," Trump said.