A Republican lawmaker in New Hampshire has pulled his endorsement of Donald Trump over the former president’s latest attack on a longtime ally.
“I am officially withdrawing my endorsement, as his most recent attack on Kayleigh McEnany is beyond comprehension and explanation,” James Spillane, who serves in the state’s House of Representatives, told NH Journal.
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He is endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis instead.
Trump slammed McEnany, who was his White House press secretary, as “milktoast” for saying on Fox News that he was 25 points points ahead of DeSantis in a poll.
“I am 34 points up on DeSanctimonious, not 25 up,” he wrote on Truth Social. “The RINOS & Globalists can have her. FoxNews should only use REAL stars!!”
The attack was very much in line with Trump’s long and extensive history of turning against his own allies for even the mildest perceived acts of disloyalty.
But for Spillane, it was a step too far.
“I thought that he would be able to continue with a positive message, learn from his past mistakes and give us a way forward to continue the policies that he started before,” he told the National Review. “But it’s become evident, especially with the latest attack on Kayleigh McEnany that there’s no loyalty in him.”
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He added: “He can’t be trusted to stay loyal to the people who supported him in the past.”
NH Journal said that Spillane is the fourth member of the state’s House of Representatives to switch an endorsement from Trump to DeSantis in recent weeks.