Former President Donald Trump is telling people he's open to endorsing Eric Greitens in the Missouri U.S. Senate race despite having criticized the former governor over the scandal that forced him from office, Politico reported.
Trump's potential interest in supporting Greitens was apparent Monday, when he released a statement promoting Greitens' Breitbart News opinion column calling for the ouster of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
That came after Greitens last week visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The candidate brought with him a copy of the Breitbart column and polling data showing him leading the primary field, Politico reported.
Politico noted that Trump told Greitens he had an open mind about whom he might support, and that the former governor was performing well. Greitens then was invited to attend a pro-Trump super PAC event the next day.
Not all Republicans are backing Greitens, with some powerful party members fearful that the former governor is the only GOP candidate who could potentially lose the seat currently held by retiring Roy Blunt, R-Mo., in November.
"Eric Greitens, if he gets nominated, it's the only way we can lose the general election for Senate in Missouri," said Mark McCloskey, a Trump-aligned candidate who gained national attention after he and his wife pointed weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters outside his home in 2020.
"If President Trump endorses him, it can only be the result of a lack of sufficient information or bad advice from his associates."
Greitens resigned as governor in 2018 after his hairdresser accused him of sexually assaulting her – something for which Trump privately has criticized the former governor. Since then, Greitens has aligned himself with the former president and has become one of the few Republican Senate candidates willing to speak out against frequent Trump target McConnell.
Politico reported that Club for Growth President David McIntosh last week talked up Greitens to Trump and urged the former president to support the candidate. Club for Growth's top donor, billionaire shipping and industrial supply company executive Richard Uihlein, is funding a pro-Greitens super PAC.
Trump allies say the former president's flirtation with Greitens largely centers on the candidate's opposition to McConnell – something other Missouri candidates haven't expressed. There's also the connection of both men having faced allegations of improprieties, and Greitens' strong poll numbers.
A Trump endorsement of Greitens, however, is not guaranteed. Politico reported. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., a strong supporter of the former president, has backed Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., in the senate race.
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