US Politics
Trump goes on early morning posting spree with a dozen posts in minutes to brag about election results
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
After more than two dozen candidates backed by President Donald Trump won their primaries Tuesday, the president took to Truth Social to post a series of graphics boasting about their, and by proxy, his wins.
Between 6:23 a.m. and 6:25 a.m. Wednesday, the president’s account posted 13 graphics recognizing endorsed candidates in Georgia, Oregon, Idaho, Kentucky and Alabama who either won or advanced to a run-off.
Each graphic followed the same template, displaying a candidate’s name and photo next to Trump’s portrait with a red banner that reads, “Endorsed by President Trump.”
The Trump team has used similar graphics to highlight Trump-endorsed wins, particularly after elections when the president’s preferred candidates come out on top.
Rapid posts, such as those made Wednesday morning, often emerge on Trump’s Truth Social account around election season, when he is doling out endorsements or recognizing wins. While the White House has maintained Truth Social posts are “directly from President Trump,” reports have indicated there are aides who assist the president in posting on his social media account.
The White House has declined to share details about its internal process when it comes to the president’s social media account, but highlighted that “no other social media tool has been more effective than Truth.”
Wednesday morning’s spree of posts followed an evening of similar graphics recognizing Trump-back candidates on the president’s account.
The president flexed his political influence in Tuesday evening’s primary elections, with voters choosing candidates he endorsed over other Republicans, including incumbents.
The starkest example of this was in Kentucky, where Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Thomas Massie – who Trump has consistently railed against for breaking with him on various policies.
The highly-watched race became the most expensive House primary in history, with more than $33 million spent on TV ads, according to NPR and AdImpact. Gallerin’s ability to defeat Massie indicated that Trump’s influence has not dwindled, despite his sinking approval rating.
Tuesday night’s results are only a primary and do not necessarily mean Republicans will outperform Democrats in the November midterm elections.
This past November, Democrats saw more wins than Republicans in local elections. Democratic candidates defeated Republican candidates for the governorships in New Jersey and Virginia. Progressive Democrat Zohran Mamdani defeated former New York City Governor Andrew Cuomo, whom Trump had endorsed.
The result of those elections has meant Republicans are pushing harder for their candidates to win, in order to retain control of the House for the remainder of Trump’s presidency.
