Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the third highest-ranking Republican in the Senate, threw his support behind former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, becoming the 20th GOP senator to endorse the leading Republican candidate.
Barrasso, the Senate GOP chairman, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesday that “the country was much better off under President Trump.”
“When President Trump was in office, we had the best economy in my lifetime … we had energy independence, our enemies feared us, and we had a secure border,” Barrasso added. “And now under Joe Biden, we have high prices, we have a wide-open border. What’s happened at the border, the surrender at the border has allowed eight million illegal immigrants into the country.”
“This is a disaster,” the senator continued. “We cannot afford another four years of Joe Biden’s failures, so if you want to get the country back on track, which is what I want to do, we need a strong Republican conservative House and Senate and we need Donald Trump back in the White House. And that’s why tonight, I am endorsing Donald Trump for president of the United States.”
Barrasso’s endorsement makes him the highest-ranking Republican in the chamber to get behind Trump’s 2024 White House bid. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) endorsed the former president last week, joining a list of senators that includes Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), among others. Trump also boasts the endorsements of the top three Republicans in the House, which include Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN)
The former president took to Truth Social following Barrasso’s appearance on Hannity to thank the senator for his support.
“Thank you to the GREAT Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming for such a powerful Endorsement, delivered beautifully tonight on the Sean Hannity Show,” said Trump. “To know John is to both like and respect him, a truly extraordinary man. THANK YOU JOHN!!!”
Trump’s two closest primary opponents, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have not yet been endorsed by any current Republican senators. DeSantis has the endorsements of five House Republicans: Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Thomas Massie (R-MS), Bob Good (R-VA), Laurel Lee (R-FL), and Rich McCormick (R-GA). Haley boasts one House endorsement from South Carolina GOP Rep. Ralph Norman.
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Republican candidates are set to face off on Monday in the Iowa caucuses, the first true test in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. Trump currently leads Haley and DeSantis by 35 points in the state, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls.
