Trump Trolls New York Democrats with Primary Endorsements

Former President Donald Trump trolled New York Democrats by endorsing two Democratic House candidates, roiling their campaigns just days before the primary.

Summary

Former President Donald Trump trolled New York Democrats by endorsing two Democratic House candidates, roiling their campaigns just days before the primary.

• The former president issued apparently sarcastic endorsements of former prosecutor and impeachment manager Dan Goldman and Rep. Carolyn Maloney in the Democratic primaries for New York’s 10^th and 12^th Congressional Districts.
• Goldman and Maloney quickly rejected Trump’s endorsements. Goldman called it “a pathetic attempt at fooling Democrats” and Maloney dismissed it as “laughable.”
• Three of Goldman’s opponents – Assemblywomen Yuh-Line Niou and Jo Anne Simon and Rep. Mondaire Jones – pounced on Trump’s endorsement and used it to attack the frontrunner in the primary for the Manhattan-based 10^th District.
• Trump’s meddling in Democratic primaries is reminiscent of Democratic meddling in Republican primaries in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Maryland, except Trump is trying to take out enemies in safe Democratic seats while Democrats seek to elevate weak Republicans in competitive races.

• Slate linked Trump’s “bizarre” endorsements with a 37-year-old feud between the former president and Rep. Jerry Nadler, Maloney’s primary opponent in the 12^th District, over a planned real estate deal.
• POLITICO reported left-wing candidates were dividing the field in New York’s 10^th, allowing relative moderate Goldman to take the lead… before Trump threw a wrench into things.
• The Intercept noted Goldman has been a target of hard-left activists due to his status as a wealthy heir to the Levi Strauss fortune and his endorsement from the New York Times.

• FOX News quoted Trump’s endorsement of Dan Goldman at length. The former president wrote, “I would like to thank Dan for fighting so hard for America, and for working so tirelessly to stop “Trump.” He was not easy to beat, but winning against him made me realize just how very talented I am!”
• The New York Post called Trump’s endorsements of Carolyn Maloney and “his one-time impeachment tormentor” “eyebrow-raising.” In Trump’s endorsement of Maloney, he wrote, “She begged for a check with no quid pro quo, and I gave it to her. In fact, I gave her many….”
• The Epoch Times interviewed Trump’s spokeswoman who said the former president was “having fun” by endorsing Democrats and “meddling” in their primary.

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© Dominic Moore, 2022