{"id":2250203,"date":"2024-05-22T10:12:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T14:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-cant-drain-the-swamp-if-he-keeps-endorsing-its-worst-offenders\/"},"modified":"2024-05-22T10:13:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T14:13:33","slug":"trump-cant-drain-the-swamp-if-he-keeps-endorsing-its-worst-offenders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-cant-drain-the-swamp-if-he-keeps-endorsing-its-worst-offenders\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s Efforts to &#8220;Drain the Swamp&#8221; Hindered by Endorsing Its Worst Offenders"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-cant-drain-the-swamp-if-he-keeps-endorsing-its-worst-offenders%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2250203&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Donald Trump, known for his \u2063&#8221;America First&#8221; agenda, endorses candidates aligned with the \u2063political establishment he claims to oppose. In South Carolina, his support \u2062of GOP leaders contradicts his outsider image. The state&#8217;s GOP legislators\u200c have\u2064 a liberal record, challenging Trump&#8217;s narrative. The establishment&#8217;s actions often conflict\u2062 with conservative values, sparking\u2063 tensions within the party. Donald Trump, famous for \u2063his\u2064 &#8220;America First&#8221; stance, backs\u200d candidates tied to the\u200b establishment despite claiming\u200b to be \u200ban outsider. His endorsement of GOP leaders in South Carolina goes against \u2064his rebel\u200b image. The state&#8217;s GOP lawmakers lean liberal, creating discord with Trump&#8217;s message. Party divisions arise due to the establishment&#8217;s deviation\u200d from conservative principles.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Donald Trump has often branded himself as an outsider candidate whose \u201cAmerica First\u201d agenda runs counter to the will of the entrenched political establishment. And yet, the former president endorses a significant number of candidates who embody it.<\/p>\n<p>In the latest example of his penchant to back the establishment GOP, Trump waded into South Carolina politics to endorse House Speaker G. Murrell Smith and other members of the state\u2019s GOP legislative leadership for reelection.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1532875555\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e7f17c8fcb849bd0f52866d46b4de540 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e7f17c8fcb849bd0f52866d46b4de540\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cSouth Carolina Speaker of the House Murrell Smith and his America First Members are doing a FANTASTIC job fighting for the Great People of South Carolina! They are working tirelessly to grow the Economy, stop Inflation, cut Regulations, provide GREAT Health Care, secure the Border, defend our always under siege Second Amendment, and champion American Energy DOMINANCE,\u201d Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/112471344361269070\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> on Truth Social. \u201c\u2026They all have my Complete and Total Endorsement!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s true that Smith and South Carolina\u2019s Republican legislative leadership have done a \u201cFANTASTIC job\u201d \u2014 just not for the conservative voters who put them in office. <\/p>\n<p>Contrary to Trump\u2019s assertion, South Carolina is one of the worst GOP establishment hotbeds in the country. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/why-did-wyoming-kill-school-choice-deep-red-states-often-dont-act-like-it-data-shows\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in-depth analysis<\/a> published by The Daily Wire in April 2023, for example, found that Republicans in South Carolina\u2019s GOP-controlled legislature had a more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-one-in-six-biden-voters-would-have-changed-their-vote-if-they-had-known-about-scandals-suppressed-by-media\/\" title=\"Poll: One In Six Biden Voters Would Have Changed Their Vote If They Had Known About Scandals Suppressed By Media\">liberal voting record<\/a> than their Republican counterparts in \u201cblue\u201d states such as Delaware and New York. The only state where GOP lawmakers had a more liberal voting record than South Carolina was Hawaii.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">RINOs Run the Palmetto State<\/h2>\n<p>South Carolina Republican leadership\u2019s abysmal track record has only continued into the Palmetto State\u2019s 2024 legislative session, in which the establishment has worked overtime to stifle conservative priorities supported by members of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus (SCFC) and large swaths of the Republican electorate. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-bf2d7a2b00573664cf2c30f645555ffb fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-bf2d7a2b00573664cf2c30f645555ffb\"><\/div>\n<p>In January, more than 60 House Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/05\/thanks-to-the-state-freedom-caucus-network-gop-legislatures-are-getting-more-conservative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defeated<\/a> an amendment to a bill prohibiting so-called \u201cgender affirming care\u201d for minors \u2014 that amendment established penalties for doctors who provide such harmful procedures to children. Among the Republicans to support tabling the amendment were Smith and Majority Leader David Hiott, both of whom Trump endorsed in the same Truth Social post.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, the amendment <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/greg_price11\/status\/1747798295261360434\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ultimately passed<\/a> due to outside pressure from the SCFC and former University of Kentucky swimmer <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Riley_Gaines_\/status\/1747764768377626626?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Riley Gaines<\/a>, who called out the House GOP on X for failing to protect the children in their state.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"L\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Not an easy feat but certainly worth celebrating.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t forget in January 63 house republicans initially voted to kill an amendment that would criminalize doctors who chemically and\/or surgically castrate minors. Public pressure got them to change their vote. Nonetheless, a win! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1jFnfQiiLF\">https:\/\/t.co\/1jFnfQiiLF<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/148D2BeqN0\">pic.twitter.com\/148D2BeqN0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Riley_Gaines_\/status\/1789778313898037492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 12, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The GOP establishment\u2019s antics seemingly got worse in the months that followed. Later in the session, House Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailysignal.com\/2024\/01\/23\/south-carolina-republicans-slammed-for-pushing-trump-hating-pro-abortion-democrat-for-judicial-appointment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attempted<\/a> to confirm James Smith \u2014 South Carolina Democrats\u2019 2018 gubernatorial nominee and an \u201cadvocate\u201d for Planned Parenthood \u2014 to a state judgeship. Despite receiving the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/repadammorgan\/status\/1780650222147731511?s=46\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">backing<\/a> of Speaker Smith, the nomination was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.counton2.com\/news\/south-carolina-news\/south-carolina-republicans-reject-2018-democratic-governor-nominees-bid-to-be-judge-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rejected<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[RELATED:[RELATED:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/05\/thanks-to-the-state-freedom-caucus-network-gop-legislatures-are-getting-more-conservative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thanks To The State Freedom Caucus Network, GOP Legislatures Are Getting More Conservative<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-401e91fe805356a1d90dd3a7aaeb2eca fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-401e91fe805356a1d90dd3a7aaeb2eca\"><\/div>\n<p>More recent instances of House GOP leadership fighting the will of Republican voters include <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SCFreedomCaucus\/status\/1788278623809462697\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defeating<\/a> a budget amendment <a href=\"https:\/\/scdailygazette.com\/2024\/05\/08\/tin-foil-hats-and-locked-doors-tensions-fray-among-gop-in-sc-house-as-session-comes-to-close\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">preventing<\/a> state agencies from <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/07\/south-carolina-agency-the-feds-force-us-to-give-voter-registration-to-foreign-nationals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">providing<\/a> voter registration forms to noncitizens and attempting to ram through what <a href=\"https:\/\/palmettostatewatch.com\/sc-senate-passes-health-czar-bill-sends-to-the-house-at-record-speed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">critics<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/palmettostatewatch.com\/medical-tyranny-sc-legislators-fast-track-health-czar-installment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">refer<\/a> to as a \u201chealth czar\u201d bill. While Rep. Josiah Magnuson (an SCFC member) used a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SCFreedomCaucus\/status\/1788686506913046987\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">procedural move<\/a> to prevent the latter\u2019s passage on the last day of the 2024 session, Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestate.com\/news\/politics-government\/article288479513.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voiced support<\/a> for passing the measure during next month\u2019s special legislative session.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump\u2019s Bad Endorsements Hurt His Voters<\/h2>\n<p>While Americans are welcome to support whomever they choose in any given primary, Trump\u2019s endorsement gives the impression that the candidate receiving his support is the more conservative choice \u2014 when that may not be the case.<\/p>\n<p>As I previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/06\/by-backing-establishment-candidates-trump-hampers-his-voters-agenda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>, Trump\u2019s backing of establishment Republicans is a common occurrence that hurts his \u2014 and more significantly, his voters\u2019 \u2014 agenda. Take, for example, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who has done virtually nothing but <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/09\/getting-involved-in-republican-primaries-is-the-best-way-to-weed-out-the-gop-establishment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">side with Democrats<\/a> in fighting Trump and Republican voters since getting elected with Trump\u2019s support in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Judging by his recent slew of South Carolina endorsements and support for feckless House Speaker <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mike Johnson<\/a>, it appears that Trump still hasn\u2019t learned from his past mistakes. <\/p>\n<p>As head of the Republican Party, Trump has an obligation to his voters to ensure the candidates he\u2019s backing in primaries are ones who will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-the-west-becoming-fascist\/\" title=\"Is the West Becoming Fascist?\">advance conservative priorities<\/a>. Anything short of that is simply kowtowing to the same establishment that\u2019s subverted him in the past and will continue to do so in the future.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4cebec2d9c74c797af9741c31c455eff fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4cebec2d9c74c797af9741c31c455eff\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump, known for his &#8220;America First&#8221; agenda, portrays himself as an outsider challenging the political establishment. Surprisingly, he frequently endorses candidates aligned with the establishment. In a recent move backing the GOP establishment in South Carolina, Trump&#8217;s actions contradict his outsider image<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2250204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Donald_Trump_25655638557.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2250203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Donald_Trump_25655638557.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2250203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2250204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2250203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2250203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2250203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}