Former President Trump lashed out at Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngin on Friday, saying he “couldn’t win without me.” The big picture: Trump has taken responsibility for the political rise of potential 2024 GOP presidential challengers, including Youngkin and Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis, as allies consider distancing themselves from him after the underperformance of candidates supported by Trump in the midterm elections. What he says: “Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?) in Virginia couldn’t win without me,” the former president told Truth Social.
“I endorsed him, I gave him a really big Trump Rally on the phone, I got MAGA to vote for him – otherwise he wouldn’t have come close to winning.” “But he knows that and he admits it,” Trump continued. “Besides, he’s having a hard time with the Democrats in Virginia – but he’ll make it!”
Separately, Trump unloaded on Gov. Ron DeSandis on Thursday, following the Florida Republican’s landslide victory in the midterm elections.
“Fake News asks him if he’s going to run if President Trump runs, and he says, ‘I’m just focused on the Governor’s race, I’m not looking at the future,’” Trump said. “Well, in terms of faith and order, that’s not really the right answer.”
Zoom out: Youngkin won the 2021 election in Virginia, defeating former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
In doing so, he set a new standard for how Republican candidates operate in competitive races in the Trump era. During his run, Youngkin walked a tightrope between praising Trump to attract voters from his base while keeping him at arm’s length to appeal to independents, Axios’ Sarah Mucha reported at the time.
Notable: Stop AAPI Hate, a group that monitors incidents of hate and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US, condemned Trump’s comments on Friday — specifically his implication that Youngkin has ties to China.
The organization also said anti-China rhetoric has fueled violence against Asian American communities. “Nearly three years ago, Trump’s racist rhetoric — like this — fueled one of the most serious surges of anti-AAPI hate that our community is still reeling from today,” said Manjusha P. Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate. statement to Axios. “So many in our community fear what will happen to them and their loved ones as he re-enters the scene. But we’ve come a long way – AAPIs are engaged, enabled, united and strong. […] And we call on other elected officials to support us in holding him accountable.”
What we’re watching: Ahead of the midterm elections, Trump said he would make a “very big” announcement at Mar-a-Lago next Tuesday in anticipation of announcing a 2024 presidential campaign. Go deeper: Trump fires DeSantis after midterms Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a statement from Stop AAPI Hate.
