Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn disputed a story claiming he is distancing himself from President Trump this election cycle, saying he and the president are more often on the same side when it comes to policy.
Cornyn is in a tight reelection campaign against Democrat MJ Hegar, a retired Air Force combat pilot. He rejected the notion that remarks he made to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial board last week about his relationship with the president should be interpreted as trying to disassociate himself from the president.
In his comments to the newspaper, Cornyn said he privately disagrees with Trump over issues ranging from budget deficits and debt to tariffs, trade agreements, and the southern border.
“Maybe like a lot of women who get married and think they’re going to change their spouse, and that doesn’t usually work out very well,” he said.
Cornyn continued, “I think what we found is that we’re not going to change President Trump. He is who he is. You either love him or hate him, and there’s not much in between. What I tried to do is not get into public confrontations and fights with him because, as I’ve observed, those usually don’t end too well.”
But Cornyn insisted to the Washington Examiner he was not distancing himself from Trump nor the president’s policies when he made the comments.
“That was a narrative being spun by people who want to act like people are distancing themselves from the president. I certainly am not. I’m proud of the work that we’ve been able to do together,” Cornyn explained. “My voting record is about 95% for his policies, and I think they’ve been good for the country. So, a lot of that is just misinformation.”
Claims that other Senate Republicans are distancing themselves from Trump was panned by Senate Majority Whip John Thune, a South Dakota Republican. Thune told the Washington Examiner that Republican senators in competitive races realize their fortunes are generally tied to the performance of the president.
“Now, that doesn’t mean they can’t win without him. But it certainly means their chances of winning are enhanced if he performs well. So I think everybody looks right now and says, ‘Our political fortunes are joined.’ And realizes that we need him to do well,” he said.
Thune noted that Trump’s debate performance on Thursday night will also play into how well Republican lawmakers in tight races do in key states on Election Day.
“I think that’s advantageous to our folks … Take a state like Montana, for example, president does well, that helps them gains a lot. Iowa, same thing,” he said. “So with our folks, if you’re in a competitive race this year, I think you realize that you need the president to do well.”
