Trump has endorsed a Texas GOP candidate accused of abusing her stepdaughter

• Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Monica De La Cruz for her congressional run in Texas.
• Last year, De La Cruz’s estranged husband accused her of physically and verbally abusing his teenage daughter.
• De La Cruz has denied the allegations, claiming they are “false.”

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed a Republican congressional candidate in Texas who has been accused of abusing her stepdaughter.

“Monica De La Cruz will be an incredible Congresswoman for the people of Texas’ 15th Congressional District!” Trump wrote in a statement tweeted by his spokeswoman Liz Harrington on Thursday.

Trump described De La Cruz as a “successful small businesswoman” who would “fight hard to Grow our Economy, Secure our Border, Uphold the Rule of Law, Support our Military and Vets, and Defend the Second Amendment.”

The show of support comes as De La Cruz faces accusations of verbal and physical abuse made by her estranged husband Johnny Hernandez, The Washington Post reported in November.At the time, De La Cruz had just announced that she was going through a divorce, per the outlet.

In the divorce petition filed in Hidalgo County District Court and seen by The Post, Hernandez accused De La Cruz of being “cruel and aggressive” towards his 14-year-old daughter and claimed that the woman had once pinched the girl to stop her from crying.

According to the outlet, Hernandez also claimed De La Cruz had been verbally abusive towards his daughter and threatened to divorce him if he allowed his daughter to continue living with them. Hernandez and De La Cruz do not have any children together. 

“Unfortunately, it got to that point where I had to make a decision for the best sake of my daughter,” Hernandez told The Post this week. “She didn’t want to go to parenting classes, and she didn’t want to make things better for my daughter.”

De La Cruz told The Post that Hernandez’s accusations are “false” and that she was “heartbroken” over such a “deeply personal matter” being exposed in the media.

“My number one concern will always be the well-being of all of my children, and I would appreciate your prayers and continue to ask for privacy for our family,” she told the outlet.

De La Cruz did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.