Yes
He should.
No
He shouldn’t.
President Donald Trump’s endorsements are drawing renewed scrutiny after Republicans lost control of Congress in the 2026 midterms. Several Republican candidates he backed lost their races, raising a question about how the president should use his influence in future elections. The decision involves two different contests. A candidate first has to earn the Republican nomination, then win a general election in which independents and voters from the other party can help decide the outcome. reuters.com
An endorsement can help a candidate in a crowded primary by bringing attention, encouraging donations and telling Republican voters whom the president trusts. Those advantages can be especially valuable to a candidate who starts with little name recognition. Voters who want Republican nominees aligned with Trump’s agenda may also see his endorsement as useful information when deciding among candidates who share many of the same policy positions.
A general election presents a different test. In a closely divided district or state, candidates must explain what they would do for their constituents and defend their own records. Some may welcome a presidential endorsement but prefer to spend most of their campaign talking about jobs, taxes or local infrastructure. Others may see Trump’s active support as central to turning out Republican voters. What helps in one district can depend heavily on how voters there view the president and the candidates on the ballot.
The midterm losses give Republicans a reason to examine individual races closely. A candidate’s defeat can reflect the strength of the opponent, the district’s voting history, the national mood or decisions made by the campaign. To judge whether an endorsement helped or hurt, it is worth asking what happened after it was made. Did the candidate gain volunteers or raise more money? Did it help settle a divided primary? Did it make it easier or harder to appeal to voters outside the Republican base?
There are several choices available to President Trump. He could step back from endorsements, reserve them for a smaller number of races or stay out of contested primaries and support Republican nominees in the general election. He could also continue endorsing candidates in both stages. Each approach gives the president, local Republicans and voters a different role in selecting the party’s nominees.