A president’s political power typically wanes in his second term because he cannot seek reelection, and attention inevitably turns to who the next leader of the free world might be. But President Donald Trump does not seem like a lame duck just yet.Trump, who repeatedly quips that he will run again in 2028, regardless of the Constitution, demonstrated his political strength again this week. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton triumphed over Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) after the president finally endorsed Paxton last week for the Republican Senate nomination in the Lone Star State.“Congratulations to Ken Paxton on such a tremendous win, and to John Cornyn for having run a strong and powerful race but, more importantly, having had a truly great career,” Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday. “John will remain my friend for a long time to come, as we both watch Ken become a fantastic, common sense Senator, one who is respected by all.”
Paxton’s overperformance in his runoff election against Cornyn capped off multiple primary wins this month for Trump-endorsed candidates against Republicans who have, at one time or another, opposed the president, from his ouster of six Indiana state senators who declined to conduct mid-decade congressional redistricting to his toppling of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who pushed for greater transparency of the federal government’s files on Jeffrey Epstein, and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial over the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
