Former President Donald Trump has lost a 2024 endorsement to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over his attack on Kayleigh McEnany.
Trump lashed out at McEnany, his administration’s White House press secretary, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. The former president called McEnany “milktoast”—an apparent misspelling of “milquetoast,” an insult for a timid or bland person—and insulted her current job as a Fox News host after she suggested during a broadcast earlier in the day that DeSantis could be “closing the gap” in Iowa’s GOP primary race.
On Thursday, James Spillane, a New Hampshire Republican state representative, told NHJournal that he was withdrawing his endorsement of Trump over the “vitriol and disregard” the former president displayed toward McEnany. Spillane announced that he was instead endorsing DeSantis, Trump’s bitter rival, while praising the governor for “his positive messaging.”
“I can no longer continue endorsing former President Trump,” Spillane told NHJournal. “I am officially withdrawing my endorsement, as his most recent attack on Kayleigh McEnany is beyond comprehension and explanation. Against my deepest hopes that Trump had learned some measure of control, he has attacked those who have been his staunchest supporters with no regard for their loyalty.”
“I cannot condone the vitriol and disregard for others that Trump has been exhibiting, and I withdraw my endorsement immediately,” he added. “I am endorsing Ron DeSantis for president in 2024. I pray for the nation that DeSantis remains true to his positive messaging and continues on to win the Republican primary with his vision of positive American success.”
Spillane reportedly appeared on stage with Trump for a campaign event in April, when the former president announced that over 50 Republican members of New Hampshire’s legislature were endorsing his 2024 run.
He is the fourth New Hampshire state representative to flip his endorsement from Trump to DeSantis in recent weeks, according to NHJournal.
While it is not clear that Trump lost any other endorsements over insulting McEnany, Spillane was not the only conservative to denounce the attack on his former press secretary.
Conservatives who defended McEnany on social media included her fellow Fox News personality Britt Hume, former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis and right-wing influencer Mike Cernovich.
Trump’s relationship with McEnany appears to have deteriorated considerably since the end of his administration.
McEnany urged the former president to delay his 2024 campaign announcement last year. In February, she encouraged DeSantis to challenge Trump for the GOP nomination during a Fox News broadcast, calling him “the hottest governor in Republican politics.”
After McEnany praised Trump on Twitter in April, the former president suggested that her comments were due to collapsing poll numbers for DeSantis, mocking her on Truth Social for “no longer speaking so favorably about DeSanctimonious now that his Polls are shot.”
On Tuesday, Trump complained that McEnany had provided the “wrong poll numbers” in the Iowa GOP primary race, although it was unclear which poll was being referenced. A poll released by Emerson College last week shows Trump leading DeSantis by 42 points in Iowa.
“Kayleigh ‘Milktoast’ McEnany just gave out the wrong poll numbers on FoxNews,” Trump wrote. “I am 34 points up on DeSanctimonious, not 25 up. While 25 is great, it’s not 34. She knew the number was corrected upwards by the group that did the poll. The RINOS & Globalists can have her. FoxNews should only use REAL Stars!!!”
Newsweek has reached out via email to Trump’s office, McEnany and the DeSantis campaign via its website for comment.
The post Trump’s Attack on Kayleigh McEnany Costs Him an Endorsement appeared first on Newsweek.
