Josh Hawley Formally Backs Trump For President

Former President Donald Trump has secured the solid backing of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who formally announced his endorsement on Tuesday.

During an interview with POLITICO, Hawley declared his support for Trump’s candidacy, saying, “President Trump doesn’t need to worry. I’m with him. He’s asked me several times to support him. I said yes. And I’ve been saying for a year that I think he’s gonna be the nominee. I support him. I’m gonna vote for him.”

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley Endorses Trump https://t.co/cnJYmo4ISb pic.twitter.com/YMAuuheUpw

— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) December 13, 2023

While Hawley had said in the past that he believed Trump would secure the GOP presidential ticket, he did not lay out an official endorsement. But in his endorsement on Tuesday, he was clear.

“Don’t worry — you can put me down as support, endorsed, stand with,” he added.

Hawley’s backing comes two days after Trump warned him and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) about the challenges they face in their reelection bid into the senate.

In a post to Truth Social, he wrote, “So interesting that the Democrats are looking hard at the Senate races in both Missouri and Texas. Josh and Ted must be very careful, stranger things have happened!!!”

Hawley’s endorsement of Trump makes him the 18th GOP senator to publicly back Trump’s run. Adding that to the about 90 endorsements he has from House Republicans, the GOP front runner appears to be way ahead of the other presidential candidates when it comes to congressional endorsements.

The former president is also way ahead of his rivals in the polls, as the RealClearPolitics polling average shows him leading the primary field with 60% support on the national scale. The closest to him are behind by over 47 percentage points, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sitting at 12.6% and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley polling at 12.1%.