Donald Trump on Wednesday picked up his first congressional endorsements, as Reps. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., and Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., said they would back his candidacy.
Collins threw his support to Donald Trump following the billionaire’s victory in the Nevada caucuses.
“Donald Trump has clearly demonstrated that he has both the guts and the fortitude to return our nation’s jobs stolen by China, take on our enemies like [the Islamic State], Iran, North Korea and Russia, and most importantly, re-establish the opportunity for our children and grandchildren to attain the American Dream,” Collins told the Buffalo News. “That is why I am proud to endorse him as the next president of the United States.”
Hunter told Politico on Wednesday that he too would back Trump. “We don’t need a policy wonk as president. We need a leader as president,” he said.
The two endorsements came just hours after Trump boasted that endorsements “are a waste of time” and that he’d rather focus on picking up support from voters.
“If we want to get our nation’s economy growing again and deal with the daunting fiscal issues threatening America’s future, it’s time to say no to professional politicians and yes to someone who has created jobs and grown a business,” Collins said.
The New York Republican’s endorsement is another sign of Trump’s appeal among more moderate Republicans and it means Trump has another long-standing critic of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in his camp. “I think Sen. Cruz has done a disservice to the Republican Party,” Collins said in 2013. “He is an extremist, and he’s the one that had the rallying cry of repeal Obamacare, defund Obamacare, delay Obamacare.”
