Trump *endorsements* in NC defy logic, make little to no sense
There’s something that a lot of people — especially the political establishment and the really, really stupid Raleigh news media — need to understand. The Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement is NOT Donald Trump. MAGA is a set of ideas championed by the descendants of what was once known as The Tea Party.
Donald Trump is the vessel currently being employed to move those ideas forward. The passion for the MAGA ideas will be around long after Trump leaves 1600 Penn for NYC or Florida.
Donald Trump has earned a lot of respect and love from the masses for the portions of the MAGA platform he and his team have pushed. But the incessant attempts — either by Trump or folks close to him acting in his name — to meddle in local races is doing some damage among the MAGA troops who worked so hard to restore Trump to office.
Donald Trump passionately advocates very specific ideas about things like cutting back government and securing the borders. Then, he turns around and endorses people who embody the very idea of ‘The Swamp’ he attacked as part of his rise to power in DC.
Trump has endorsed Andrew Cuomo, Dr. Oz, and Lindsey Graham — three guys who have nary an ounce of conservatism between them. His team is working to save Texas RINO John Cornyn, who faces a tough primary from TX AG and MAGA hero Ken Paxson. Team Trump also dove headlong into Georgia to save their two RINO senators. (Georgia now has two Democrat incumbents.) They dove into Georgia again and pushed the candidacy of one Herschel Walker – who imploded spectacularly in what should have been a very winnable race.
Team Trump’s work in North Carolina has been just as – if not more – aggravating. They endorsed Bo Hines twice for Congress. They endorses the disastrous Mark Robinson for governor when he faced two much more competent primary opponents.
Trump endorsed extreme RINO Thom Tillis in 2020 — thereby scaring off a credible primary challenge against the incumbent senator. (In 2025, Trump was searching for a primary opponent for the very guy he endorsed in 2020.)
Trump endorsee Ted Budd succeeded in 2022. But – considering his opposition – Budd really didn’t need the, um, *help.*.
In the 2024 race for an open congressional seat, Team Trump cleared the GOP field for the little brother of one of Don, Jr.’s lobbyist pals. Former congressman Mark Walker backed out of the race to accept a job offer from Trump. (For what it’s worth, Walker’s nomination for the newly-created post still has not been taken up by the GOP-controlled Senate. *Bait-and-switch, anyone?*)
Here we are in 2025 with another scenario that seems quite similar to the aforementioned pitch to Mark Walker. Phil Berger – bane to all good conservatives and proponents of good, ethical government — is in the fight of his political life. His entire political career has been the very essence of “The Swamp” MAGA and Trump have railed against. Yet, Trump has reportedly endorsed Berger and offered his primary opponent, Rockingham County sheriff Sam Page, a job.
Here’s how Page responded to the report:
SO, MAGA is a “death cult”? And THIS GUY (Berger) gets endorsed over a guy (Page) who went above and beyond for Donald Trump?
So, that brings us to Michael Whatley — who Trump apparently *endorsed* for US Senate after trying to recruit at least three other people to run.
Americans For Prosperity (AFP) has shelled out for ads promoting Whatley’s candidacy for Senate. What’s funny about that? (NOT ha-ha funny.). In 2023, AFP rolled out a harsh anti-Trump advertising package.
SO — IF Mike Whatley truly is Donald Trump’s guy, why are the hardcore Trump haters shelling out big money to promote Whatley’s candidacy? (*Maybe they know something that Trump doesn’t.*)
One more interesting point about the AFP ad — it claims Whatley is “not DC.” Except for his brief stint as NCGOP state chairman, Whatley’s WHOLE career has been tied to DC. Every bit of it.
Anyone who has spent any significant time working on political staff or campaigns knows that a lot of stuff happens under a politician’s name that the politician likely never saw. It’s likely that this endorsement stuff is an example of that. From what I am hearing, a lot of this can be laid at the feet of Trump White House insiders Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita. (LaCivita has ties to the NCGOP and the 2016 Pat McCrory reelection campaign.)
Endorsing people who have mocked MAGA and been the embodiment of *The Swamp* is a real slap in the face to a lot of good people who went to the mat for Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024. It’s purposefully sabotaging the mission to fix the mess that’s been made of this country.
We saw something similar happen to Reagan in the 80s as true-believers in the Reagan administration and in Congress were pushed aside by Bush family disciples and other establishment tools. We are at a juncture in our country’s history where we can’t afford a repeat of all that.
Endorsing special interest deal maker Berger, a man with no ideological or philosophical compass or coherent set of principles other than the dollar signs in his eyes, is even more out of touch than endorsing Thom Tillis One remembers that the crowd at the Trump rally actually booed Trump’s announcement of the Tillis endorsement. There were rumors that Berger bought that endorsement by his Congressional redistricting move. That is disgusting political sleaze..
The MAGA movement is NOT Donald Trump is the absolute truth. Fact, the first Tea Party gathering in Dare County at the Wright Memorial attracted 400 visitors. The Rep party in Dare barely existed at that time but existence quickly swelled from that point forward. The forever blue of Dare politics changed to solid red. No one is perfect including Donald Trump. He could do himself a huge favor if he paid more attention to the Tea Party than he does the exiisting Raleigh SWAMP.
No doubt in my mind that NCGOP Establishment toadies lobbied Trump to endorse Berger even though the latter has a history of being cool, to put it mildly, towards Trump. I don’t recall the Senator ever appearing at Trump rally in the state, while Sam Page has and was picked to be his campaign chairman. Trump has gotten some truly bad advice. And I am paying no attention to it.
Trump doesn’t run again. His endorsements have proven to be 50/50 at best and he continues to make political blunders. Monday’s trashing of the Reiner’s was, at best, not necessary. Silence is golden comes to mind.
Trump has gone across America endorsing bad candidates. That he continues to do so here in NC is even more questionable with his d-i-l from the state. Does she have any political savvy about her or seek counsel from any sources other than the NCGOP?? Perhaps not.
It’s no diff than the Robinson campaign that now has us with Stein and Co and a very liberal COS. The NCGOP has run our state into the landfill.
I’ll vote my preference, not Trump’s.