Breaking News: GOP Senator Marsha Blackburn Has Endorsed Donald Trump For 2024 Presidential Run, Claiming “Can’t Wait Until He’s Back”

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It’s unclear right now who exactly will be running in the Republican presidential primary, but as Megyn Kelly puts it, “Trump is the 800-pound gorilla in the room.” 

Love him or hate him, there is no denying that it will be tough for anyone to get past him. 

Several lawmakers know this and are lining up to back the former and potential next president. 

According to reporting from The Washington Examiner: 

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined a crop of Tennessee Republicans endorsing former President Donald Trump’s 2024 bid. 

Echoing her Senate counterpart, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), who backed Trump over the weekend, Blackburn lauded Trump’s achievements on the economy and border on Monday, framing his election to a second term as the solution to stubbornly high inflation and the influx of illegal immigrants into the United States. 

She is the ninth senator to back Trump.

Sen. Blackburn issued a tweet on Monday endorsing Trump as the GOP presidential candidate.

“Under President Trump, our economy was booming, gas prices were low, and inflation was under control. Our order was secure, our adversaries feared us, & our military was strong,” Sen. Blackburn, (R-TN), wrote.

“I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President and can’t wait until he’s back in the White House,” she said.

Some outlets speculate that Blackburn might be on Trump’s shortlist as his vice presidential running mate.

The Washington Examiner listed the 45th president’s other senate backers.

So far, over four dozen members of Congress have endorsed Trump, vastly surpassing endorsements from the Hill that his top GOP rivals have racked up. 

Other senators backing Trump are Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Ted Budd (R-NC), who endorsed Trump on Friday.

Blackburn’s fellow Tennessee senator, Sen. Bill Hagerty endorsed Trump over the weekend following the Republican National Committee donor retreat in Nashville.

“It is my honor to give my whole-hearted endorsement to Donald J. Trump to be the next President of the United States,” Sen. Hagerty tweeted. “I was honored to previously serve in his Administration.”

On the House side, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) endorsed Trump early on, but others like Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) have endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis though DeSantis has not officially announced his candidacy.

Rep. Ralph Norman, (R-SC) endorsed the former governor of his state, Nikki Haley, in her run for the GOP presidential nomination.

Trump is the odds-on favorite for the Republican nomination. His lead over DeSantis soared following his unprecedented indictment brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.

The former president’s fundraising skyrocketed after the indictment as well. In the two weeks following the announcement of the indictment, his campaign took in $15.4 million, almost as much as what it raised in the first quarter of 2023.

A Quinnipiac University poll shows that most Americans, however, think that Trump’s criminal charges in ongoing investigations should disqualify him from running in the 2024 presidential race.

At this point, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen in the months leading up to the Republican primary.