Donald Trump calls a Democratic congressman a 'loser' for not switching parties after receiving his pardon
The president called Texas Representative Henry Cuellar a "loser" and ungrateful for remaining in the ranks of the party that prosecuted him, while formally endorsing Republican candidate Tano Tijerina in South Texas.
President Donald Trump, on October 8.
President Donald Trump lashed out harshly on Wednesday against Texas Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar, calling him a "loser" and ungrateful for refusing to switch his political affiliation to the Republican Party after receiving a presidential pardon that spared him a prison sentence.
Last year, Trump granted an executive pardon to Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, who were facing federal charges related to alleged bribery and money laundering. At the time, the Republican administration argued that the previous administration's Department of Justice had manipulated the judicial system against the lawmaker for having openly denounced the collapse at the southern border.
Trump's criticism of political "disloyalty"
In a lengthy Truth Social post ahead of a rally in San Antonio, Trump regretted trusting the lawmaker's integrity without demanding a partisan commitment in exchange for the pardon.
"In any case, I granted the pardons and made no deal, as a corrupt politician would have done, but I thought there was a strong possibility that Cuellar—who was targeted by the Democrats because they didn't like him—would have routinely switched to the Republican Party, the people who saved him from years in prison," Trump said.
The president criticized Cuellar for seeking reelection under the Democratic banner after having been targeted by his own party. "Henry Cuellar is a LOSER who, right now, should be serving a long prison sentence with his wife in a maximum-security prison," he declared.
Cross-party endorsements in the South Texas race
In the same statement, the president offered strong support to Republican candidate Tano Tijerina, a former county judge and well-known local sports figure, who is seeking to unseat Cuellar from the seat he has held in the House of Representatives since 2005.
"Tano, a legendary baseball star, great athlete, respected county judge, and good person, will hopefully defeat Cuellar so that people can see how bad it is when you're singled out and humiliated as one of the most disloyal politicians on Earth," the president added, stating that Tijerina's victory would represent a just punishment for the lack of reciprocity.
Tijerina reacted on social media by celebrating the White House's endorsement and questioning the credibility of the Democratic congressman. "Everyone in South Texas knows that anything Henry Cuellar says after 'hello' is a lie. President Trump just confirmed it," he wrote on X.
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