Trump’s endorsement juggernaut marches on, crushing Republicans who crossed him

Normally U.S. presidents approaching the midway point of their second term are beginning to experience the effects of declining political capital as lame ducks. But not Donald Trump, who continues to wield the power of election endorsements with unparalleled success.

America’s 47th president kept his impressive 2026 primary winning streak rolling Tuesday night, with nearly two dozen Republicans winning outright or advancing to a runoff in states like Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky.

But the night’s biggest prize for Trump was the ousting of one-time ally Rep. Thomas Massie, who was defeated by Trump-backed rival Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and Kentucky farmer, in one of the most expensive congressional races in American history.

Massie lost in Kentucky’s fourth House district primary by about 10 points after winning the last two general elections by a whopping 65% and 98% respectively. But those wins were before he got crossways with Trump on issues like spending bills, Jeffrey Epstein documents and foreign policy and the Iran war.

The message of Massie’s loss was loud and clear to all: crossing the incumbent president can, and often is lethal to your political health.

“This is @realdonaldtrump’s Republican Party,” Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., declared on X. “The rest of us get the privilege of living in it.”

Added longtime Trump ally and lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor: “The results should also serve as a warning to Republican office holders who choose to suck up to the left and the liberal media—you will be held accountable (at the ballot box) by the MAGA movement.”

Massie’s loss was part of Trump’s trifecta of enemies that he declared he would defeat in primaries after they came out against him.

The others included Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the Republican who voted for Trump’s impeachment in 2021 and who ended up finishing third in his primary Saturday, and five Indiana Republican state legislators who refused to back Trump demands for redistricting in the Hoosier state to give Republicans a larger edge.

Another Trump critic, Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, also finished third in his bid to become the state's next governor and failed to qualify for next month's runoff.

Trump on Tuesday added Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to his target list by endorsing Cornyn's opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton in next week’s runoff election.

“John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough,” Trump explained.

“Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to WIN. Our Country needs Fighters, and also Loyalty to the Cause of Greatness,” he added.