Trump abandons loyalty test in midterm primary endorsements

[DonViejo]

The president is giving his imprimatur to candidates who didn't even vote for him in 2016 in hopes of keeping GOP control.

By CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO 06/05/2018 05:06 AM EDT

President Donald Trump is tossing aside his habit of punishing his past doubters, and is increasingly embracing Republicans running in state and congressional races whether or not they supported him in 2016.

The list includes California gubernatorial candidate John Cox, whom Trump endorsed ahead of Tuesday’s open primary, siding with state GOP leaders who fear being shut out of the general election in November under California’s top-two finisher rule — despite the fact that Cox voted for libertarian Gary Johnson in 2016.

Cox, an obscure businessman and perennial candidate, has been happy to trumpet the White House nod, though he spent months on the campaign trail portraying Trump as a virtual nonfactor for voters hungering for a new direction.

White House aides and outside advisers described a chief executive at greater ease with the daily realities of being the face of the party than ever before, including making endorsements and raising money — a characterization at odds with his iconoclastic approach in 2016 and with his idiosyncratic and mostly unsuccessful endorsement strategy in special elections since he took office.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/05/trump-primary-election-endorsements-623657

[tanyev]

1. That won't last long. He won't be able to stand it.