‘Loyalty is always a one-way street’: Trump retracting his Mo Brooks endorsement reminds others he’s backed of the uncomfortable reality, GOP strategists say

• GOP strategists said Trump endorsees can’t ever cross him because he’ll quickly turn on them.
• That reminder of Trump’s methods came after he rescinded his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks.
• “Loyalty and honesty mean more to Trump than polling and fundraising,” a former Trump aide said.

Donald Trump’s purging of Senate hopeful Mo Brooks from his roster of political endorsees, GOP strategists said, should serve as a lesson to MAGA candidates everywhere.

“Loyalty and honesty mean more to President Trump than polling and fundraising,” Trump administration alumnus Michael Caputo said of Brooks’ cardinal sin, adding that Trump had to cut Brooks loose for losing the faith. 

“You don’t court President Trump for his endorsement and then toss darts at his back,” Caputo told Insider. “Maybe that’s business as usual in the Montgomery swamp. We know that’s how it often works in the Rayburn building. But President Trump does not play that game.” 

Trump publicly pulled his support for Brooks, a five-term Alabama Republican congressman who up until Wednesday had been his pick to replace retiring GOP Sen. Richard Shelby. 

Trump’s decision to abandon Brooks serves as a reminder of a key characteristic of the former president and businessman; he demands unwavering fealty, holds grudges and seeks revenge for any slight or perception of disloyalty.

Scott Reed, a veteran GOP strategist and chairman of consulting firm Chesapeake Enterprises, urged MAGA world to watch its back. 

“With Trump, loyalty is always a one-way street,” Reed told Insider. 

In a stunning response to Trump’s rejection, Brooks said that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,  a fellow Republican, had turned Trump against him. He also said Trump repeatedly asked him to “rescind the 2020 elections, immediately remove Joe Biden from the White House … and hold a new special election for the presidency.” 

Brooks participated in Trump’s earlier efforts to manipulate the outcome of the 2020 presidential race — he spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the January 6, 2021Capitol siege, and that night voted to overturn the election results. But Brooks apparently drew the line at somehow forcing Biden from the Oval Office. 

“I’ve told President Trump the truth knowing full well that it might cause President Trump to rescind his endorsement,” Brooks said Wednesday after Trump pulled his endorsement.

Ron Bonjean, a former House and Senate GOP leadership aide turned co-founder of political consulting firm ROKK Solutions, said the 2020 drama likely played a role in the messy breakup but offered an alternative take on what really wrecked the relationship. 

“If a candidate doesn’t look like a winner, then they risk losing Trump’s backing,” Bonjean said of Trump’s main motivation. “What’s clear to Trump is that if you aren’t first, then you are last.”

The endorsement shuffle

Brooks has struggled in polling and fundraising, setting up a primary fight with Katie Britt, a former longtime Shelby aide and chief of staff, and military veteran and businessman Mike Durant. 

Shelby is backing Britt and is, according to the local news outlet Al.com, is preparing to spend millions of dollars from his campaign coffers to help her win.

Brooks was one of nearly 130 candidates Trump has endorsed since leaving office. In addition to House and Senate races, he’s waded into down-ballot races including a mayoral contest in Florida, an insurance commissioner race in Georgia, and a county judge post in Texas. 

Trump’s biggest score to date has been political neophyte Glenn Youngkin’s underdog win over Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia’s 2021 gubernatorial race. Setbacks he’s experienced along the way include Susan Wright’s loss to Jake Ellzey in the July 2021 special election to fill the vacancy in Texas 6th district after her husband, incumbent Rep. Ronald Wright, died from COVID, and endorsee Sean Parnell dropping out of the Pennsylvania Senate race last fall after losing a child-custody battle clouded by allegations of spousal abuse. 

A Republican currently advising a campaign vying for one of the GOP’s open seats this fall said the Brooks’ episode makes one thing abundantly clear. 

“If you’re a Trump endorsed candidate, you need to run an actual campaign and have MAGA principles,” the strategist, who requested that the identity of the state and name be withheld to allow them to speak candidly, told Insider.