WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President 鈥� who has long seemed like he just can鈥檛 seem to choose in the 鈥� says he’s 鈥減retty much鈥� decided whom to endorse in the critical March 3 contest.
But as the showman president is wont to do, he left the public 鈥� and the candidates themselves 鈥� hanging, as he declined on Friday to name who he’ll actually support. Instead, during his remarks in Corpus Christi, Texas, Trump made sure to acknowledge each of the three Republicans fighting for the nomination.
鈥淲e have a great attorney general, Ken Paxton. Where’s Ken? Hi, Ken,鈥� Trump said. He continued, 鈥淎nd we have a great senator, John Cornyn. Hi, John.鈥�
Noting that they’re in a 鈥渓ittle bit of a race,鈥� Trump added: 鈥業t鈥檚 going to be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people.鈥�
Trump mentioned the third candidate, Rep. Wesley Hunt, after running through the long list of Texas lawmakers present: 鈥淎nother friend of mine who is doing very well, Wesley Hunt. Wesley Hunt, what a good job.鈥�
During his visit Friday, which marked his first out-of-Washington trip since Tuesday’s , Trump reiterated the highlights from that address about America’s economic prosperity and bolstered national security. He boasted of increased oil production and lowered gas prices at the Port of Corpus Christi while diverging into asides about GLP-1s, mockery of Democrats and unsubstantiated claims about voting.
Ahead of Trump鈥檚 visit, Energy Secretary Chris Wright authorized a鈥�12% expansion鈥痠n liquefied natural gas exports at Cheniere Energy鈥檚 Corpus Christi terminal 鈥� making it the second largest LNG export project in the U.S.
鈥淲e brought the country back. We don鈥檛 want to lose the midterm. We’ve got to win the midterms,鈥� Trump implored the crowd, saying his tenure in office marked a return to the 鈥済olden age鈥� for the U.S. 鈥淲e’ve got to get out. You’ve got to get out, and we’ve got to vote. And we鈥檒l keep it all going better even than it is now, as good as it is.鈥�
As affordability and the economy remain top priorities for the broader electorate, Democrats are seizing on the cost of things like electricity, housing and food to attack Republicans for failing to adequately address voters’ concerns.
鈥淎s Donald Trump calls affordability a 鈥榝ake word鈥� and 鈥榟oax鈥� and spends his time building gilded ballrooms, Texas families are seeing costs rise, health care get more expensive, and jobs disappear at one of the highest rates in the country,鈥� Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said after Trump’s Corpus Christi remarks.
is battling for his fifth term and is being challenged by and in a . All three men have been trying to highlight their ties to Trump as they ramp up their campaigning ahead of Tuesday鈥檚 vote. Cornyn got a head start on Friday, when he flew on Air Force One for the Texas trip and posted multiple photos of his ride on social media.
Trump鈥檚 hesitation to publicly wade into the Texas Senate primary speaks to the tricky dynamics of the race.
Cornyn is unpopular with a segment of Texas鈥� GOP base, in part for his early dismissiveness of Trump鈥檚 2024 comeback campaign and for his role in authoring after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. But Senate GOP leadership and allied groups see Cornyn as the stronger general election candidate, in light of a series of troubles that have shadowed Paxton.
in 2023 and has faced by his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have . They and allied campaign groups argue that the seat would cost the party hundreds of millions more to defend with Paxton as the candidate.
鈥淚t is a strong possibility we cannot hold Texas if John Cornyn is not our nominee,鈥� Scott told Fox News on Wednesday.
, was a late entry to the race, but claims a kinship with Trump, having endorsed him early in the 2024 race. Hunt campaigned regularly for Trump and earned a prime-time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
If no candidate reaches 50% in Tuesday鈥檚 primary, the top two finishers will advance to a May 26 runoff.
Cornyn鈥檚 campaign and a half-dozen allied groups have poured into the race since last fall, chiefly trying to slow Paxton but recently attacking Hunt in an effort to keep him from making it to the runoff.
The veteran senator has been airing ads since last year touting his support for Trump’s agenda, even though his relationship with the president has been cool at times. Paxton and Hunt both have ads airing now featuring them standing with Trump, who has repeatedly said he likes all three men and is friends with them.
The GOP battle comes as Democrats have a in Texas between state , a self-described policy wonk who regularly quotes the Bible, and progressive favorite .
Trump hasn鈥檛 been shy about wading into other contested Republican primaries in the state. Parts of Corpus Christi fall within Texas鈥� 34th congressional district, where former Rep. Mayra Flores is against the Trump-endorsed Eric Flores. (The two are not related.) The winner of the primary will face off against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, long a target of the GOP, whose district was redrawn to make it easier for a Republican to win.
Eric Flores attended Friday’s Trump event at the Port of Corpus Christi, which technically is located in a neighboring district.
Elsewhere in the state, the president has also endorsed Rep. Tony Gonzales, who is party to resign from Congress after reports of an alleged affair with a former staffer who later died after she set herself on fire. Gonzales is refusing to step down and has said that there will be 鈥渙pportunities for all of the details and facts to come out鈥� and that the stories about the situation do not represent 鈥渁ll the facts.鈥�
鈥淐ongressman Tony Gonzales is here,鈥� Trump said, noting his presence at his Corpus Christi remarks. 鈥淭ony, congratulations.鈥�
It was unclear what Trump was congratulating him for. Gonzales is facing a primary challenge from Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and gun rights influencer, whom Gonzales defeated by fewer than 400 votes in their 2024 runoff.
After the speech, Trump made a stop by a local Whataburger, where he picked up food for Air Force One and insinuated to the gathered patrons that he would buy food for everyone in the restaurant. 鈥淐an you handle it? Hamburgers for all!鈥� he announced.
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Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.
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