A Republican governor who has never been a supporter of former President Donald Trump is now solidly endorsing him to become the 47th commander-in-chief following last week’s unsuccessful assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania.
As recently as this month, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told CNN that he wasn’t planning on voting for either Trump or President Joe Biden, but he has since had a dramatic change of heart.
According to Politico, Cox publicly committed to supporting Trump’s candidacy when speaking to reporters on Friday, a day after the latter accepted the GOP nomination for president for a third straight election.
“I am doing everything I can to help and support him,” the governor – who called on Trump to resign on Jan. 6, 2021 – said. “We will still have lots of disagreements, I’m sure, and we’ll still do everything we can to help the state of Utah and help the Republican Party be successful.”
The day after the shooting, Cox privately put his support behind Trump in a letter, writing that he believed Trump’s life was spared due to a “miracle,” adding: “I humbly submit that you — and I sincerely mean this — only you — can” unify the country.
“Mr. President, I know we have some differences and you probably don’t like me much. And that’s OK. I get it. I am not writing this letter looking for a position in your Cabinet or a role on your team,” Cox wrote in the letter, obtained by POLITICO and first reported by Salt Lake City-based Deseret News. “But I have loved so many of your policies … [and] I have told everyone that you are going to win the state of Utah and you are going to win the presidency again.”
Last week he told CNN’s Kaitlin Collins that he was “not going to vote for either presidential candidate this year. I’ll write somebody in, as I’ve done in the past.”
Meanwhile, Democrats who want Biden to step aside from being the party’s nominee got some news they will not like on Friday. The president, who is recovering from COVID at his home in Delaware, said he is getting back on the campaign trail next week.
“I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone,” the president said via his campaign.
“The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win,” he said.
Not all Democrats are pushing for Biden to drop out and, surprisingly perhaps, that includes Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
