President Trump on Saturday night endorsed a potential primary challenger to Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, an occasional Republican critic who voted to convict the president in his second impeachment trial, in a surprise announcement that threatened his relationship with Senate Republicans.
Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post that he was backing Representative Julia Letlow of Louisiana, who won a special election in 2021 after her husband died from the coronavirus after his election but before he was sworn in. Ms. Letlow has not yet entered the Senate race, but Mr. Trump said that if she decided to do so, he would be with her all the way.
“RUN JULIA RUN!!!” Mr. Trump wrote, adding that “Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
The move is likely to create new tensions between Mr. Trump and Senate Republicans.
Mr. Trump called Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, on Friday and said he was likely to endorse Ms. Letlow, according to a person briefed on the conversation who was not authorized to discuss the private remarks.
Mr. Thune pushed him to support Mr. Cassidy, the person said, noting potential consequences for key votes in the future. The majority leader also noted that Mr. Trump was starting to push a major health care bill, which Mr. Cassidy would have jurisdiction over as chairman of the Senate’s health committee.
Mr. Cassidy responded to Mr. Trump in a social media post of his own on Saturday night: “I’m proudly running for re-election as a principled conservative who gets things done for the people of Louisiana. If Congresswoman Letlow decides to run I am confident I will win.”
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