Trump Team Slams Club for Growth for Not Following Trump’s Endorsement of J.D. Vance 

Andrew Spear/MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Andrew Spear/MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton

Former President Donald Trump’s team slammed the conservative activist organization Club for Growth after they continued to support Josh Mandel in Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senate primary, despite Trump’s recent endorsement of J.D. Vance.

Trump called on his supporters to “unite behind J.D.’s campaign because, unlike so many other pretenders and wannabes, he will put America First,” in his endorsement of Vance last week. However, Club for Growth did not listen to the former president and still supports Mandel, one of Vance’s opponents.

Trump’s assistant reportedly told Club for Growth president David McIntosh to “Go f*** yourself,” after the organization continued to air attack ads against Vance, according to the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman.

Club for Growth doubled down on its support of Mandel after Haberman reported on the texts between McIntosh and Trump’s assistant.

“We’re increasing our #OHSEN ad buy,” the organization’s account tweeted.

Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., shared a video on Twitter calling out Mandel for being the “Club for Chinese Growth backed establishment candidate” in the Ohio U.S. Senate race.

“Ohio friends – Meet the real @JoshMandelOhio. The Club for Chinese Growth backed establishment candidate in the #OHSen race,” Trump Jr. tweeted.

The video starts with a clip of Mandel mentioning how he is “strongly anti-establishment,” but continues with a montage of establishment Republicans praising Mandel. Some of the Republican politicians in the clip include Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and former Sen. John McCain.

In the clip, Mandel points to Romney as an example of a “squishy establishment Republican” he would take on, then cuts to a clip of Mandel praising Romney on the 2012 presidential campaign trail.

“I appreciate what governor Romney stands for,” Mandel said.

“And by the way, I need Josh Mandel in the Senate to make that happen,” Romney said in another scene from the clip posted by Trump Jr.

“I’m very much for Josh Mandel for the United States Senate,” Kasich said in a clip.

According to Haberman and a source familiar who confirmed it to Breitbart News, Trump Jr. is considering opposing all newly endorsed Club for Growth candidates unless or until The organization’s board removes McIntosh from his post as president.

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