Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Endorses Trump for President

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin gestures to supporters while arriving at Piney Branch Elementary School in Bristow, Va., on Nov. 7, 2023. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has endorsed former President Donald Trump for president, saying it’s clear that voters have “spoken loudly” after the former president swept all but one of the races on Super Tuesday.

“It’s time to unite around strong leadership and policies that grow our great nation, not four more years of President Biden,” Mr. Youngkin wrote in a post on X.

The Virginia governor, a Republican, also issued a statement of endorsement, in which he touted President Trump’s record on border security, taxes, and inflation.

“His record on border security, restoring American leadership around the world, reducing taxes and lowering the cost of living for all Americans stands in stark contrast to the open borders, failed leadership on the global stage, rampant inflation and higher costs of today,” he wrote.

Under President Joe Biden’s watch, wars broke out in Ukraine and the Middle East, inflation soared to a multi-decade high, and the number of illegal border crossings broke records.

President Trump reacted to the endorsement in a post on Truth Social, saying he looks forward to working with Mr. Youngkin in securing a win in Virginia in the upcoming presidential election.

“Thank you to Governor Glenn Youngkin. I look forward to working with this fantastic Governor to WIN THE GREAT STATE OF VIRGINIA ON NOVEMBER 5th. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” the former president wrote.

Mr. Youngkin’s endorsement is the latest to follow President Trump’s dominant victory on Super Tuesday—the day consisting of the greatest number of primaries in the presidential election cycle.

After his last GOP rival, Nikki Haley, dropped out of the race, President Trump is now the presumptive Republican nominee in the race for the White House.

He won 14 of the 15 Republican contests on Super Tuesday and is poised to claim the vast majority of the 865 convention delegates available across the races. President Trump needs 1,215 delegates for nomination.

“They call it ‘Super Tuesday’ for a reason; this is a big one,” the former president said in his victory speech on March 5.

“There’s never been anything so conclusive,” he said, adding, “This was an amazing night.”

McConnell Endorses Trump, Haley Drops Out

The day after Super Tuesday, President Trump secured an endorsement from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said the former president had clearly won the support of Republican voters.

“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” Mr. McConnell said in a statement to media outlets. “It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support.

The Kentucky Republican highlighted some of the accomplishments of President Trump’s first term in office, focusing on taxes, the economy, and the judiciary.

“During his presidency, we worked together to accomplish great things for the American people including tax reform that supercharged our economy and a generational change of our federal judiciary—most importantly, the Supreme Court,” Mr. McConnell said.

“I look forward to the opportunity of switching from playing defense against the terrible policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared towards making a real difference in improving the lives of the American people,” he added.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks to reporters in Washington on Oct. 4, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

After President Trump’s victory on Super Tuesday, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley announced that she’s dropping out of the race.

While she expressed positive sentiment with respect to the former president, she stopped short of offering her endorsement.

“I have always been a conservative Republican and supported the Republican nominee,” she said in a brief speech before supporters in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 6.

“But on this question, as she did on so many others, Margaret Thatcher provided some good advice when she said, ‘Never just follow the crowd. Always make up your own mind,’” Ms. Haley continued.

“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does,” she added.

President Biden, meanwhile, received an endorsement from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said on March 5 that voters shouldn’t be bothered by the president’s “old” age and should vote for him anyway because that’s “how you’re going to save our democracy.”

Trump-Biden Rematch In Focus

Facing little opposition, President Biden scored a significant victory on Super Tuesday, dominating every Democratic contest except the American territory of Samoa.

The Super Tuesday results bring a potential Trump-Biden rematch closer to reality, with President Trump issuing a debate challenge to his Democrat rival.

“It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People. Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE,” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.

“The debates can be run by the corrupt DNC, or their Subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). I look forward to receiving a response. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.

The latest polls show President Trump leading President Biden in a head-to-head matchup.

President Trump is ahead of President Biden by 1.8 points, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average.