Republican Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina is ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris for the 118th Congress in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 3, 2023. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump picked up his seventh Senate endorsement on April 13, with Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) backing Trump’s third bid for the White House in 2024.
“Just a few years ago America was strong, but now under Joe Biden, we are a nation in decline,” Budd said in a statement. “Our economy is faltering, our wide-open southern border is tragically wrecking lives, and our country’s power and influence in the world is diminished.”
In contrast, Budd said, the Trump-led America was much different.
“Under President Trump, our economy saw record-setting growth, and families were starting to get ahead. Neighborhoods were safer,” Budd said. “Across the globe, we were achieving peace. We were respected by allies and feared by enemies.
“That’s why I endorse Donald J. Trump for President,” Budd added. “Hardworking, everyday families need a return of the America First agenda to restore prosperity and peace.”
The six other GOP senators who have endorsed Trump’s presidential bid are Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
Budd Endorsement
Budd, a former House lawmaker, defeated Democrat Cheri Beasley to win North Carolina’s 2022 Senate race. Budd was endorsed by Trump before his November election victory, paving the way for his GOP primary win over former North Carolina governor, Pat McCrory.
Like many Republicans, Budd has criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for bringing criminal charges against Trump.
“The Manhattan DA’s partisan prosecution of President Trump is a disgrace,” Budd wrote on Twitter on March 30. “NYC has a real problem with violent crime. Instead of spending so much time targeting his political enemies, Alvin Bragg should focus on doing his job to keep the people of NYC safe.”
On April 4, the former president was charged with 34 accounts of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and stated that Bragg has “no case” against him.
Former President Donald Trump appears in court at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 4, 2023. (Steven Hirsch/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Budd introduced his first bill as a senator in February, when he and other GOP senators introduced the Build the Wall Now Act (S.422) in an attempt to address the border crisis.
“President Biden has created the worst border crisis in American history. Instead of taking steps to solve this crisis, the Biden administration has tried to run out the regulatory clock on border wall construction,” Budd said in a statement about the bill.
He added, “The Build the Wall Now Act ends this administration’s excuses and forces them to restart wall construction immediately. It’s time for a comprehensive solution to end the Biden Border Crisis, and this bill does just that.”
The North Carolina native also co-sponsored the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act (S.369), which was originally introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
“The increasing strategy, employed by nations like China, of buying up land near military facilities around the country is a direct threat to our national security,” Budd said in a statement. “As a Senator from a state that has eight military installations and is home to thousands of active duty service members and veterans, this is a threat that must be directly confronted and stopped.”
Trump 2024
Thirty-nine House lawmakers have also chosen to endorse Trump for 2024, according to Ballotpedia’s endorsement tracker. These House members include Reps. Max Miller (R-Ohio), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.).
Apart from Trump, three other major Republican candidates have announced their 2024 bids—former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
The former president is currently the leading GOP candidate, according to several polls.
A survey by Morning Consult, which polled 3,608 potential GOP primary voters from April 7 to April 9, showed that Trump had the support of 56 percent of potential Republican primary voters, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis coming in second with 23 percent of support.
“That 33-percentage-point lead over the past several days marks Trump’s largest since Morning Consult’s tracking of the hypothetical matchup began in December,” the survey says.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis answers questions from the media in the Florida Cabinet following his State of the State address during a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, on March 7, 2023. (Cheney Orr/AFP via Getty Images)
Former Vice President Mike Pence finished third with seven percent of support, followed by Haley with four percent.
A New UMass Amherst/WCVB Poll (pdf) conducted by YouGov found Trump leading in the 2024 GOP primary race in Massachusetts. Trump garnered 59 percent of support, leading DeSantis by 41 points. Pence finished third with 10 percent.
In a potential head-to-head matchup between Trump and DeSantis, the former president picked up 68 percent of support and the Florida governor obtained 32 percent of support.
The poll was conducted between March 28 and April 5.
“Ron DeSantis has often been presented as an alternative to Trump, but so far Massachusetts Republicans aren’t buying it,” said Jesse Rhodes, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll, according to a statement accompanying the poll.
“It appears that, in the short term, Trump’s recent indictment in the state of New York for allegedly falsifying business reports is helping him among Republicans, who view the indictment as a form of persecution,” Rhodes added. “It remains to be seen, though, whether Massachusetts Republicans will stick with Trump over the long run.”
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
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