Trump shores up new wave of congressional support ahead of Iowa caucuses

In the first few days of 2024, former President Donald Trump scored six new congressional endorsements as the first nominating contests draw near.

Trump received a number of his congressional endorsements early in the primary cycle, with fewer in the summer and fall months. But, as the first nominating contests near in both Iowa and New Hampshire, Trump is putting the pedal to the metal in terms of seeking support from those within his party, with several new endorsements rolling in during the last few weeks.

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The former president boasts more than 100 endorsements and counting in the House and Senate because he “never stops working the phones,” according to senior Trump adviser Jason Miller.

The endorsements include the likes of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), as well as House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), who issued his seal of approval for the former president Wednesday despite Trump’s efforts to sink his bid to become the next speaker of the House last year.

“I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors,” Trump wrote in a scathing post on Truth Social in October 2023. “RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them. He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA—MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

“Voting for a Globalist RINO like Tom Emmer would be a tragic mistake!” Trump urged his supporters in the House at the time.

Just a few months later, Emmer pledged support for the former president.

“Trump did take a shot at him when he was running for speaker,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) recalled in an interview with the Washington Examiner. “But politics makes strange bedfellows, and a day in politics is a lifetime.”

Republican strategists agreed that such a move is not all that surprising. In fact, for many, strategist Susan Del Percio said, endorsing Trump is strategic and done in the interest of self-sustaining.

“Trump is vengeful and will go against anyone he doesn’t see as loyal,” Del Percio said. Endorsing him “is about political survival.”

Norman, who endorsed former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, echoed that.

“People are in their own self-interest,” Norman said. “You know, they want to go back in office.”

Iowa Republican strategist David Kochel called endorsing Trump the safest bet at this point. Trump, who has been discussing retribution and revenge frequently on the campaign trail, “keeps a list of names,” he noted.

“Endorsing someone else could come with reprisals,” Kochel said.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), agreed that his colleagues were opting for “the easiest landing spot.”

Most strategists agreed that primary fears going into the 2024 congressional elections were a motivating factor for many.

“Most GOP voters expect their elected officials to back Trump,” GOP strategist Ron Bonjean said. By giving Trump their support, members are consolidating their base.

For others, though, the endorsements are likely brought on by Trump’s enduring lead over his opponents.

As Trump’s nomination by the Republican Party appears more inevitable, GOP strategist John Feehery said, members are looking to join him before it’s too late.

Trump’s campaign also said as much. The wave of new Capitol Hill supporters is partially brought on by “the realization that President Trump is going to be the GOP nominee and the next President of the United States,” Miller said.

The polls, in which Trump has expanded his lead and maintained the support of the majority of Republicans, are driving members to make their move, Feehery said.

But both Norman and Roy, who have put their faith in Trump’s competitors, believe polls are being weighed too heavily by their peers.

“I think you’re seeing people who are too interested in looking at polls and wanting to go where they think the result is going to be, rather than leading in the direction where the country needs to go,” Roy said.

“Do I trust the polls on all this?” Norman asked rhetorically. “No.”

Norman also is not too worried about Trump’s endorsement advantage over Haley, he said. He recalled former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s candidacy in 2016, noting he “had all the endorsements in the world.” Bush notably went from being a front-runner in the 2016 Republican presidential primary to dropping out of the race following the South Carolina contest.

House Republicans have been expressing interest in Haley “behind the scenes,” Norman said.

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“I think when it narrows down, you’re going to see more and more people come out and even change when they see what Nikki has done,” he said.

Trump’s latest endorsements come less than two weeks before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15.