Donald Trump has often branded himself as an outsider candidate whose “America First” agenda runs counter to the will of the entrenched political establishment. And yet, the former president endorses a significant number of candidates who embody it.
In the latest example of his penchant to back the establishment GOP, Trump waded into South Carolina politics to endorse House Speaker G. Murrell Smith and other members of the state’s GOP legislative leadership for reelection.
“South Carolina Speaker of the House Murrell Smith and his America First Members are doing a FANTASTIC job fighting for the Great People of South Carolina! They are working tirelessly to grow the Economy, stop Inflation, cut Regulations, provide GREAT Health Care, secure the Border, defend our always under siege Second Amendment, and champion American Energy DOMINANCE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “…They all have my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
It’s true that Smith and South Carolina’s Republican legislative leadership have done a “FANTASTIC job” — just not for the conservative voters who put them in office.
Contrary to Trump’s assertion, South Carolina is one of the worst GOP establishment hotbeds in the country. An in-depth analysis published by The Daily Wire in April 2023, for example, found that Republicans in South Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature had a more liberal voting record than their Republican counterparts in “blue” states such as Delaware and New York. The only state where GOP lawmakers had a more liberal voting record than South Carolina was Hawaii.
RINOs Run the Palmetto State
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