U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter Friday afternoon and reiterated that he supports U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty to represent Tennessee.
Trump tweeted the following:
My friend, @BillHagertyTN, will be a phenomenal Senator for Tennessee! He did an incredible job for our country as Ambassador to Japan. Strong on the Economy, Trade and the Wall, Bill stands Tall for Law & Order. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement! https://t.co/VGeHlAfQV8
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2020
“My friend, @BillHagertyTN, will be a phenomenal Senator for Tennessee! He did an incredible job for our country as Ambassador to Japan. Strong on the Economy, Trade and the Wall, Bill stands Tall for Law & Order. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
And Hagerty replied on his own Twitter and Facebook accounts:
“Thank you, President Donald J. Trump! I am humbled by the President’s support. Tennesseans stand with you, and in the Senate, I will continue fighting for the America First agenda. #TNSen”
Trump endorsed Hagerty one year ago, as The Tennessee Star reported at the time.
As reported in January, Donald Trump Jr. told a crowd in Gallatin that Hagerty “was on the Trump train before it was politically expedient.” And that, Trump Jr. went on to say, is why his dad endorsed Hagerty so early in the campaign.
“It is safe to say that in a Republican primary today, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for four or five years, my father’s endorsement is a pretty big deal,” Trump Jr. told the audience.
“I also understand how primary politics works, and it’s not so easy. You never know what really happens. I can’t think of another individual who has been endorsed this early by my father. That’s everything you need to know. My father trusts him. He believes in him, as Bill believed in him when so few actually did.”
As The Star reported this week, Hagerty announced more than 1,000 government officials, business leaders, law enforcement officers, and community leaders across all of Tennessee’s 95 counties had endorsed him.
As reported Wednesday, Hagerty announced the Small Businesses For Hagerty Coalition, which includes more than 60 small business owners from across Tennessee. Also, as reported, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) endorsed Hagerty as did U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), the United States Chamber of Commerce, and the Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
President Trump is deferring to the state GOP in many instances which explains why his selected candidates are losing to conservatives. Dr Manny is the sole conservative in the race and Hagerty is cut in the mold of a Haslam, Alexander and Corker, and now Lee, all progressives. I could easily see Hagerty transforming into a Haslam or Corker. Anyone supported by the progressive state GOP, Golden and tge like, should be voted against. I wonder why they do not mention Dr Manny- you have to wonder about their business model here and their interactions with various campaigns
If Hagerty wins the primary, this puts me in a damn tough spot. IMO, he is just another crony capitalist, Romney clone. He talks a conservative line but has a history of supporting Globalist, US Chamber Of Commerce goals, such as importing more cheap tech workers to replace Americans. Don’t believe me? Do the research. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to hide his crony capitalist past, but it is there if you look for it.
Unfortunately, thanks to the Tennessee General Assembly, primaries aren’t “closed” (to party affiliation), and this kind of “publicity” will likely drive Democrats to cross over and vote against Hagerty. Is this the reason why across the US we’re seeing quite a few Trump-backed, candidates lose their primaries. Who knows? Hagerty might just end up on that same list!
If anything, Democrats would vote in favor of Hagerty. Trump is deferring to the state party for endorsement suggestions and our state party produces politicians to the left of center like Alexander, Haslam, Corker etc. Dr Manny is the sole conservative in the race. Trump’s picks are losing because he has deferred to the state establishments and is endorsing progressive candidates.