U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday again endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty on Twitter.
“@BillHagertyTN, an outstanding man and one of the best Ambassadors ever (Japan), is running an excellent campaign for the Senate,” Trump tweeted.
“He loves Tennessee and loves our Country. We need him badly in Washington. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
.@BillHagertyTN, an outstanding man and one of the best Ambassadors ever (Japan), is running an excellent campaign for the Senate. He loves Tennessee and loves our Country. We need him badly in Washington. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!https://t.co/VGeHlzYfwy
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2020
Hagerty and Manny Sethi are competing against one another to replace the retiring U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander.
As The Tennessee Star reported last month, Trump joined Hagerty in a brief tele-town hall event and told Tennesseans that Hagerty, if elected, will do great things.
During a nearly nine-minute phone call at the time, Trump told listeners that Hagerty had his “complete and total endorsement.” Hagerty hosted Trump on the call immediately after Tennessee’s polls opened for early voting.
“I had plenty of choices, but Bill Hagerty is someone that I know very well. He was my ambassador to Japan. He was a fantastic ambassador. I’ll never forget. I went to Japan. He knew every person over there. He knew the businessmen. He could pronounce those names that I had a hard time with. It was amazing,” Trump said during the call.
“He was one of the truly great ambassadors that I’ve ever met. And I’ve met some good ones, and I’ve met some very bad ones, to be honest. Bill was so solid, so good. And they still miss him, I will tell you.”
The president urged Tennesseans to vote early.
Trump also said Hagerty will act tough with China and fight for American’s Second Amendment rights.
Hagerty, meanwhile, told Trump that he, if elected, would make himself the president’s “strongest ally there.”
“Here in Tennessee we are working hard to ensure you are re-elected for four more years so we can continue to keep America great. When you look around and you see this angry liberal mob, you see what’s happening in Portland, Oregon. That can’t happen across this country. And Tennesseans are so grateful for your leadership here to make sure it never does,” Hagerty said.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Dave Vance, exactly, Trump is great at running an economy but just doesn’t always have common sense when it comes to endorsements!
Trump is a business man, not a politician. The problem with Hagerty is that he is both. I think this is the President’s biggest weakness, which has lead to some (not so good) judicial appointees. Hagerty may be a solid business partner but his a crap politician, only out for himself.
Since Hagerty was on the Trump’s transition team you have to wonder if that is why so many back stabbing Never Trumpers were a result of Mitt Hagerty’s influence.
Let’s face it,Trump sucks at endorsements and in many cases appointments as well. As far as choice goes it’s our choice as voters not his!