FLASHBACK: Cornyn Claimed Trump Couldn’t Win 2024 Election
President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing an endorsement of Texas Sen. john Cornyn after Cornyn’s texas primary setback, with a May 26 runoff against Attorney General Ken Paxton setting up a November face-off against Democrat James Talarico. Trump’s backing would be valuable to Cornyn and his establishment allies, and could reduce campaign spending, according to Senate Majority leader John Thune, who also suggested an endorsement would be helpful. The piece notes that Cornyn previously questioned Trump’s electability and said Trump’s time might have passed, even as he later acknowledged possible value in Trump’s influence within the party. It also highlights cornyn’s history of cross-aisle positions—voting with Democrats on gun-control measures, supporting Democratic spending, and opposing some of Trump’s priorities—and his past criticisms of Trump, including remarks about moving on from the former president and signaling concerns about-electability in 2024. The report, written by Jordan Boyd of The Federalist, culminates with a profile of the author.
President Donald Trump is reportedly mulling an endorsement for Sen. John Cornyn after the incumbent senator failed to secure a majority of Texans’ votes during the Lone Star State’s primary on Tuesday. The commander-in-chief, who is notorious for prioritizing loyalty, might think twice about gifting Cornyn his confidence after the senator questioned whether Trump was “a candidate who can actually win” during the 2024 presidential election.
The winner of Texas’ May 26 Republican-primary runoff election between Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton will determine who faces Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate James Talarico in November. Trump’s endorsement is not only coveted by Cornyn, who could use a boost after pouring tens of millions of dollars into a race that he couldn’t win on the first go, but also his establishment allies.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Punchbowl News on Wednesday that he thought Cornyn “had a great night” and hinted that Trump’s blessing on the incumbent “saves everybody a lot of money.”
“If the president can weigh in, it would make it enormously helpful,” Thune quipped.
Thune repeated his pro-Cornyn sentiments on Fox News later in the day
BETRAYAL: Leader Thune just said he would rather have Cornyn over Paxton as a Texas Senator, PROVING the true intentions of Thune.
“Ultimately, the president, you know, he makes his own decisions. But I’ve certainly weighed in many a time— many times, I should say, in support of… pic.twitter.com/oNPmTcM6Kx
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) March 4, 2026
Trump might have faith that Cornyn can win an election against Talarico, but the same confidence was not returned by Cornyn during Trump’s 2024 presidential run.
“I think President Trump’s time has passed him by,” Cornyn claimed in 2023. “I don’t think President Trump understands that when you run in a general election, you have to appeal to voters beyond your base.”
One month after claiming Trump would lose the 2024 presidential election due to “electability,” Cornyn nodded as the interviewer re-stated Cornyn’s belief that “you think it’s time for the Republican Party to move on from Donald Trump.”
“You know, in politics, unless you can win an election then you’re pretty much irrelevant,” Cornyn said. “I have concerns about the President’s ability to win in November.”
Cornyn is no stranger to appealing to the opposite political party. He was one of 14 Republican senators who betrayed their base by advancing Democrats’ radical gun control wish list in 2022, a decision that earned him a round of boos at the 2022 Texas GOP convention. Shortly after in 2023, Cornyn was one of several Republican legislators going along with Democrats’ inflationary spending.
That same year, as the Biden administration ramped up its quest to paint Christians and pro-lifers as domestic terrorists, Cornyn suggested that the conservative-led ousting of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was tantamount to a “terrorist attack.” He also fought alongside the Biden administration to push racist curriculum in schools and tried to hamper Republicans’ investigation into Democrats’ lawfare against Trump.
When Cornyn faced criticism for his unwavering support for sending blank checks to Ukraine, he lashed out on social media, taking aim at Federalist CEO Sean Davis in the process.
Cornyn is also notoriously opposite of Trump on some of the president’s biggest priorities. Shortly after Trump won the 2024 election, Cornyn signaled he would sabotage the president’s attorney general pick during the confirmation. He’s also allied himself with the man stonewalling the confirmation of Trump’s nominees.
Jordan Boyd is an award-winning staff writer at The Federalist and producer of “The Federalist Radio Hour.” Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.
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