Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who ran for president during the 2016 race, endorsed former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, saying that Americans “are in danger of losing our country” otherwise.
“Trump may not be warm and cuddly, but he is a warrior, and that is what we need right now,” Mr. Jindal, a Republican who dropped out of the presidential race in 2015, wrote on social media.
Notably, the former governor was a critic of the former president during the 2016 campaign, although Mr. Jindal ultimately said he voted for him.
The former two-term Louisiana governor also noted that “Trump will be the Republican nominee, and everyone knows that, especially the Democrats who are already spending millions attacking him in an attempt to destroy him.
Elaborating, Mr. Jindal wrote: “Trump is a proven leader and fighter, who appointed transformational judges when in office. We cannot afford to take a chance; we need somebody who’s proven to fight for us, and everyone must admit that Trump is a fighter like no one else.”
Mr. Jindal was the governor of Louisiana from 2008 until 2016. Before that, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms.
He was one of the many GOP candidates in the 2016 field before suspending his campaign in November 2015 just two months before the Iowa Caucuses. “I’ve come to the realization this is not my time,” he told Fox News at the time.
Even though he faces multiple state and federal felony cases, President Trump’s lead hasn’t slipped. He’s pleaded not guilty to the charges and said they’re an attempt to harm him politically.
President Trump is slated to report having $36 million available on hand, his campaign aides told CNN and other news outlets this week. Another GOP candidate, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, raised more than $7.4 million in the third quarter, a spokesperson for his campaign said.
Other 2024 Republican candidates such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) raised far more and had more cash on hand. Reports indicated that Mr. DeSantis has $5 million cash on hand, Mrs. Haley has $9.1 million, and Mr. Scott has $13 million.
But former Vice President Mike Pence’s 2024 effort appears to be faltering after a filing with the Federal Election Commission showed that his campaign is about $621,000 in debt. It also shows that he has $1.1 million cash on hand and also raised $3.3 million in the third quarter.
While in Iowa on Monday, President Trump said that if he returns to the Oval Office, he will immediately begin “ideological screening” for all immigrants and bar those who sympathize with Hamas and Muslim extremists. The war between Israel and Hamas has sparked what is now the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides, with more than 4,000 dead.
“If you empathize with radical Islamic terrorists and extremists, you’re disqualified,” he stated. “If you want to abolish the state of Israel, you’re disqualified. If you support Hamas or any ideology that’s having to do with that or any of the other really sick thoughts that go through people’s minds — very dangerous thoughts — you’re disqualified.”
