Yesterday, Trump made his official endorsement in the Republican primary for attorney general by sticking with Ken Paxton. The announcement is one more humiliating episode for George P. Bush, who had pivoted hard to court the Trump endorsement.
Paxton, who is currently under indictment for securities fraud and under investigation by the FBI for abuse of office and bribery, said on Twitter that he was “honored” to receive the endorsement from Trump. Paxton has been a loyal Trump enthusiast to the point that he filed a fruitless Supreme Court case to toss out the electoral college votes of swing states. He also spoke at the U.S. Capitol in the leadup to the insurrection on January 6th.
When Bush entered into the primary against Paxton, he tried to position himself as a Trump loyalist as well. At his campaign launch he even had beer koozies on hand that showed the two of them together with the tagline “This is the Bush that got it right. I like him.”
Bush’s fealty to Trump was reminiscent of the relationship between Ramsay Bolton and Theon “Reek” Greyjoy on Game of Thrones. After all, Trump ruthlessly mocked his own father during the 2016 campaign. Still, George P. Bush groveled to Trump. His pinned tweet on Twitter is a photo of the two of them. Bush even wrote, “I appreciate his friendship [and] kind words as we work together to Keep America Great.”
Bush, who has been steadily taking away donors from Paxton, appeared to take the endorsement in stride.
A primary election date has yet to be set in Texas.
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
