Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has thrown his weight behind former President Donald Trump’s 2024 bid for the White House, officially endorsing the former president while criticizing President Joe Biden’s “disastrous” policies.
Mr. Cotton took to social media on Jan. 3 to issue his endorsement, saying he believes the Trump presidency brought safety, strength, and prosperity, contrasting it with issues under President Biden, including economic challenges and open borders.
“When Donald Trump was president, America was safe, strong, and prosperous,” Mr. Cotton wrote. “The economy was booming, working-class wages were growing, our border was secure, and our enemies feared us.”
“With Joe Biden as president, everything has gone to hell: families can’t afford groceries, our border is wide open to a full-blown invasion, and our enemies are starting wars everywhere,” he continued.
“I endorse President Trump and I look forward to working with him to win back the White House and the Senate so we can help hardworking Arkansans suffering from Joe Biden’s disastrous policies. It’s time to get our country back on track,” Mr. Cotton added.
The Arkansas Republican’s praise for the accomplishments of the Trump presidency likely relate to such policies as bolstering border security and championing domestic energy production and independence, both issues the former president saw as a matter of national security.
Like Mr. Cotton, critics of President Biden and his policies have pointed to a surge in illegal border crossings that have set new records, multidecade high inflation that has eroded the purchasing power of U.S. households, and a sharp deterioration in the international security environment, with wars in Europe and the Middle East that absorb taxpayer resources.
The twin issues of illegal immigration and the Biden administration’s war on fossil fuels in the name of fighting climate change have riled the former president in particular. He said his immediate priorities as president—if he wins the November election—would be to tighten border security and boost domestic oil and gas production.
Other Notable Endorsements
Mr. Cotton’s endorsement adds to a growing list of high-profile Republicans who have thrown their weight behind the former president.On Tuesday, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the second-most powerful Republican in the House of Representatives, said he is officially endorsing President Trump’s reelection bid.
“I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024, and I look forward to working with President Trump and a Republican House and Senate to fight for those families who are struggling under the weight of Biden’s failed policies,” Mr. Scalise, the House majority leader, said in a statement on social media.
In a longer statement to Fox News and other media outlets, Mr. Scalise highlighted the economic strength that marked all but the tail end of the Trump presidency, which was hit by the short but sharp 2020 pandemic recession.
Much like Mr. Cotton, the Louisiana Republican took aim at the inflation that Americans suffered under the Biden administration, while also pointing to the border crisis.
Also on Wednesday, President Trump secured an endorsement from Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the House Majority Whip, with the former president now sweeping all the House GOP leadership endorsements.
Mr. Emmer shared a joint statement from the Minnesota congressional delegation on X.
“Joe Biden’s failed policies have left Minnesotans to grapple with double-digit inflation, higher taxes, and a border crisis that has turned every community into a border community,” the statement said.
“Minnesotans and all Americans deserve better,” it continued. “It is time for Republicans to come together in support of a leader who has what it takes to get our country back on track. We stand together to endorse Donald J. Trump for President.”
Among the remaining 2024 Republican presidential candidates, the former president has by far the most endorsements from Republican members of Congress or governors.
President Trump currently boasts nearly 100 significant endorsements, while the top two contenders trailing the former president in the polls—former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—have fewer than two dozen similar endorsements combined.
