President Trump is still holding out his endorsement in the closely watched Republican Senate primary in Texas. But in Kentucky on Wednesday, he gave one to the boxer and social media influencer Jake Paul, who is not currently running for office.
“He’s a great guy,” Mr. Trump said after calling Mr. Paul to the stage at a rally in Hebron, Ky. “He’s a courageous guy and a talented guy. He’s a hell of a fighter, too.”
Mr. Trump said Mr. Paul had his “complete and total endorsement” and predicted that the influencer would run for office “in the not-too-distant future.” Pointing at Mr. Paul, he added, “That’s what we want.”
Mr. Paul, 29, rose to prominence as a vlogger and provocateur who captured headlines with brash stunts. In 2020, he said the Covid-19 pandemic was a “hoax.” A year later, another influencer, Justine Paradise, accused of him of sexual assault; in a statement at the time, Mr. Paul called the allegation “100% false.”
Mr. Paul said Mr. Trump had taught him “courage.”
“We never back down from a fight,” Mr. Paul said at the rally.
Mr. Trump’s praise of Mr. Paul arrived as the president has dangled a potential endorsement in the Republican Senate primary in Texas, where the embattled incumbent, Senator John Cornyn, is facing a runoff against Ken Paxton, the state’s scandal-plagued attorney general.
Many top Republicans are anxious for Mr. Trump to back Mr. Cornyn, who they see as a stronger general-election candidate, to avoid extending a costly and bruising race through the G.O.P. runoff, which is set for May.
Last week, the president said on social media that he would make an endorsement “soon,” but he has not appeared to be in any rush. Mr. Cornyn’s campaign declined to comment on the president’s endorsement of Mr. Paul. Mr. Paxton’s campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Even as Mr. Trump’s approval rating sags in his second term, his support remains a potent force in Republican primaries, and he has seemed to relish his role as a party kingmaker. His choice in a House special election in Georgia on Tuesday was the leading vote-getter, burnishing the president’s endorsement record this cycle.
In Texas, Mr. Trump declined to support Representative Dan Crenshaw in his Republican primary last week. Mr. Crenshaw lost to a hard-right insurgent.
The president endorsed Mr. Paul at a rally-like White House event where Mr. Trump also brought to the stage Ed Gallrein, his pick in the local Republican primary for the House. Mr. Gallrein is seeking to unseat Representative Thomas Massie, an outspoken Republican who has been critical of Mr. Trump.
“The president’s handing out endorsements like Pez Candy,” Mr. Massie said in an interview on Saturday.
At the rally on Wednesday, Mr. Trump described Mr. Massie as a “complete and total disaster.” He said Mr. Gallrein was a “true American hero.”
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