- Trump rescinded his endorsement of Alabama Senate candidate Mo Brooks.
- Trump accused Brooks of going "woke" by saying Republicans should look ahead and not back at 2020.
- Trump teased that he'll make a new endorsement "in the near future!"
Former President Donald Trump formally rescinded his endorsement for Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama's senate race, calling the congressman "woke" for saying that Republicans should move on and look past the 2020 election.
Trump backed Brooks, one of his close congressional allies in his failed effort to overturn his 2020 election loss, early on in the race to replace retiring GOP Sen. Richard Shelby.
But despite Brooks' former loyalty, Trump has increasingly soured on the Alabama congressman over his poor fundraising and poll numbers, openly airing some of his frustrations in a recent interview with the Washington Examiner.
"When I endorsed Mo Brooks, he took a 44-point lead and was unstoppable. He then hired campaign staff who 'brilliantly' convinced him to 'stop talking about the 2020 election.' He listened to them. Then, according to the polls, Mo's 44-point lead totally evaporated," Trump said in his Wednesday statement pulling his endorsement.
Trump specifically cited comments Brooks made an August 2021 rally suggesting Republicans should look ahead in 2022 and not focus on relitigating the 2020 election results, which remains a major preoccupation for Trump and a litmus test for candidates who hope to earn his endorsement.
"There are some people who are despondent about the voter fraud and election theft in 2020," Brooks said at the rally, a statement that got him booed by the crowd. "Folks, put that behind you, put that behind you."
"When I heard his statement, I said, 'Mo, you just blew the Election, and there's nothing you can do about it,'" Trump said. "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."
Trump finished his statement by teasing that he'll be "making a new Endorsement in the near future!"
—stephen fowler (@stphnfwlr) March 23, 2022
The other main candidates in the Republican Alabama Senate primary are Katie Britt, a former longtime Shelby aide and chief of staff, and military veteran and businessman Mike Durant. Trump has previously spoken with Britt on the phone and met with her at Mar-a-Lago, his golf club and winter residence in Florida, in February, CNN and Politico reported.