Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on his fellow Republican Senator Bill Cassidy by publicly endorsing a potential challenger, US House member Julia Letlow. The move comes after Cassidy voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial last year, which has sparked a bitter feud between the two.
In a statement posted on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump gave Letlow his "complete and total endorsement" for Cassidy's Senate seat in Louisiana, urging her to run against him. The endorsement is seen as a direct shot at Cassidy, who had hoped to maintain Trump's support.
Cassidy, a medical doctor, had sought to win back Trump's favor by voting to confirm Robert F Kennedy Jr as the US health secretary despite his anti-vaccine activism. However, Cassidy's efforts seem to have backfired, with Trump now using Letlow as a proxy to attack him.
Letlow, who won a special election for Louisiana's US House seat in 2021, has been courted by Trump and her campaign has expressed gratitude for the endorsement. "RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!!" Trump's post concluded, suggesting that he is urging Letlow to enter the fray.
The timing of this move is significant, as Cassidy faces a closed primary system that will all but ensure each major party candidate makes it to the runoff. This means that if Cassidy fails to secure his own nomination, Letlow could potentially face him in a general election.
Cassidy has vowed to run for re-election, but with Trump backing Letlow, he may find himself facing an uphill battle. The senator had previously expressed confidence that Trump would not make any endorsements as he sought re-election in November's midterms.
The Cassidy-Letlow showdown raises questions about the future of the Republican party and whether Trump will continue to exert influence over his fellow Republicans. With Cassidy's seat up for grabs, the consequences of this move could be far-reaching.
In a statement posted on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump gave Letlow his "complete and total endorsement" for Cassidy's Senate seat in Louisiana, urging her to run against him. The endorsement is seen as a direct shot at Cassidy, who had hoped to maintain Trump's support.
Cassidy, a medical doctor, had sought to win back Trump's favor by voting to confirm Robert F Kennedy Jr as the US health secretary despite his anti-vaccine activism. However, Cassidy's efforts seem to have backfired, with Trump now using Letlow as a proxy to attack him.
Letlow, who won a special election for Louisiana's US House seat in 2021, has been courted by Trump and her campaign has expressed gratitude for the endorsement. "RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!!" Trump's post concluded, suggesting that he is urging Letlow to enter the fray.
The timing of this move is significant, as Cassidy faces a closed primary system that will all but ensure each major party candidate makes it to the runoff. This means that if Cassidy fails to secure his own nomination, Letlow could potentially face him in a general election.
Cassidy has vowed to run for re-election, but with Trump backing Letlow, he may find himself facing an uphill battle. The senator had previously expressed confidence that Trump would not make any endorsements as he sought re-election in November's midterms.
The Cassidy-Letlow showdown raises questions about the future of the Republican party and whether Trump will continue to exert influence over his fellow Republicans. With Cassidy's seat up for grabs, the consequences of this move could be far-reaching.
just saw trump endorse julia letlow 2 run against cassidy!! this is HUGE 
like, the timing couldn't be worse for cassidy he's gotta deal with trump's wrath now 
i'm not surprised though, those two have been beefing 4 ages 
and Cassidy thought voting 4 robert f kennedy jr would fix things lol 4get about it 
now it's letlow's turn to shine 
can't wait 2 see how this all plays out 
is cassidy gonna make it? only time will tell 
. i think trump just wants to stir up drama and get people talking about his name again. i mean, we all know how passionate trump fans are, but will it even make a difference in the end? 
but hey who knows maybe she'll surprise us all and take down cassidy 
. This whole thing with Letlow and Cassidy is just a classic case of Trump using someone else to do his dirty work 
. Julia Letlow seems like an innocent bystander in this situation, but we all know how it's gonna play out 
. I think what's really concerning here is the impact it's gonna have on the Republican party 
. If they can't even keep their own members on board without Trump pulling strings behind the scenes, that's a big red flag 
. We need to see some real leadership and unity from these politicians instead of just playing into Trump's ego 
he's basically sayin cassidy screwed him so letlow gotta run against him now 
. And with the primary system in Louisiana being so closed, this could be a real David vs Goliath situation 
... What does it mean for the Republican party if Cassidy ends up losing? Is this some kind of test for whether Trump can still control his fellow Republicans?
This is getting outta hand...