Rep. Hageman Endorses Trump: ‘Proud to Stand with Him’

By Jacob Gardenswartz

Special to the Wyoming Truth

As another GOP candidate jumped into the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman announced Wednesday her formal endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

“I believe that Donald Trump was one of the best presidents of my lifetime,” Hageman said in a campaign statement. “President Trump stood with me for my election in 2022, and I am proud to stand with him in 2024.”

Hageman’s endorsement came the same day former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley officially launched her White House bid in Charleston. Despite Haley’s one-time role as U.N. Ambassador during the Trump administration, Haley mostly shied away from commentary on her former boss and new rival.

But though she never named Trump directly, Haley was explicit in drawing a contrast between herself, Trump and President Joe Biden. “We’re ready — ready to move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past, and we are more than ready for a new generation to lead us into the future,” Haley said.

“America is not past our prime — it’s just that our politicians are past theirs,” she added. After noting Republicans lost the popular vote in seven of the eight previous presidential elections, Haley told supporters that “If you’re tired of losing, put your trust in a new generation.”

Asked to respond to Haley’s criticisms of Biden’s age, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre highlighted the legislative and political victories the president amassed in recent years, including the passage of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, as well as Democrats’ surprisingly-strong showing in the 2022 midterms.

“Maybe they’re forgetting the wins that this President has had over the last couple of years, but I’m happy to remind them anytime,” Jean-Pierre said.

Trump, for his part, lambasted Haley shortly after her announcement on his social media platform Truth Social. “She’s polling at 1%, not a bad start,” he chided.

Meanwhile, Trump thanked Hageman for the endorsement: “I love you too. Keep up the great work,” he wrote.

Though the former president still holds broad support in Wyoming — in a University of Wyoming poll conducted late last year, 58% of respondents rated Trump’s performance as “good or “excellent” — his approval nationwide has started to wane. A poll released Thursday by Quinnipiac University showed just 37% of Americans viewed him favorably, while 57% had an unfavorable opinion.

But the same poll found Trump leading the pack when it comes to the 2024 Republican primary: 42% of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters picked him as their top choice to take on Biden, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis not far behind at 36%. Haley trailed with just 5% support, followed by other potential candidates who’ve yet to formally announce campaigns, including former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Though Hageman is now on-the-record with her support for Trump’s nomination, the other Wyoming representatives in Washington haven’t been as clear. Sen. Cynthia Lummis stated last year that she believed DeSantis — and not Trump — was the current leader of the Republican Party. Asked about the race, her office pointed the Wyoming Truth to recent comments from the senator indicating her excitement about having “a lot of discussions about what it really means to be a Republican in 2024 and beyond.” She added that she hopes there will be “multiple options on the Republican side.” 

Despite Trump’s recent comments attacking Sen. John Barrasso as a “flunky,” the dean of Wyoming’s congressional delegation has stated his intent to stay out of the nomination battle.

“Senator Barrasso plans to support the Republican nominee for president,” his spokeswoman told the Wyoming Truth last year.