Trump endorses GOP Utah Senate candidate looking to replace Romney: 'He will be a GREAT Senator'

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Trent Staggs, a Republican politician seeking to regenerate retiring Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, successful Utah's GOP superior contention for the Senate.

"Trent Staggs is 100% MAGA, and is moving to capable The Mitt Romney, a Total Loser, Seat arsenic the adjacent Senator from the Great State of Utah," Trump wrote successful a Saturday greeting station connected Truth Social. "A Highly Successful Entrepreneur, who has served brilliantly arsenic Mayor of Riverton for the past six years, Trent knows however to Create Jobs, Stop Inflation, Grow the Economy, and Secure the Border."

"As your adjacent Senator, Trent volition assistance america Unleash American Energy, Support our Military/Vets, and Protect our ever nether siege Second Amendment," helium added. "Trent Staggs has my Complete and Total Endorsement - He volition beryllium a GREAT Senator, and ne'er fto you down!"

Trump's endorsement of Staggs came connected the aforesaid time nearly a twelve Republicans — including erstwhile House Speaker Brad Wilson and existent Utah Rep. John Curtis — squared disconnected for the party's information successful a contention expected to uncover the marque of governmental conservatism that astir appeals to modern voters successful the state.

TRENT STAGGS RECEIVES ENDORSEMENT FROM UTAH'S LARGEST POLICE UNION

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Trent Staggs successful Utah's GOP superior contention for the Senate connected Saturday. (Getty Images, Trent Staggs campaign)

Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, who gained notoriety successful 2020 for his absorption to disguise mandates amid the coronavirus pandemic, announced his decision to participate the contention past May, anterior to Romney's announcement that helium would discontinue from the enclosure astatine the extremity of his word adjacent year.

"I emotion my children, and I'm disquieted astir the state they volition inherit if I beryllium connected the sidelines," Staggs told Fox News Digital astatine the time. "For excessively long, we've allowed authorities bureaucrats to walk distant the adjacent generation's future, and we request much voices consenting to propulsion back."

"Mitt Romney fits successful the Senate overmuch amended than I do. We've elected acold excessively galore radical who 'fit in' successful Washington. I'm not going to Washington to marque friends, I'm going to marque change," helium added.

Romney, who won the GOP information for president successful 2012 and was aboriginal defeated by Barack Obama, announced successful September that helium would not beryllium seeking a 2nd word successful the Senate.

GOP SENATE HOPEFUL LOOKS TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM LINK TO TEXAS GREEN ENERGY FIRM

Romney announced successful September that helium would not beryllium seeking a 2nd word successful the Senate. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In announcing his decision, Romney declared he's not "retiring from the fight," and helium bashed some President Biden and Trump portion calling for "a caller procreation of leaders."

"I person spent my past 25 years successful nationalist work of 1 benignant oregon another. At the extremity of different term, I’d beryllium successful my mid-80s. Frankly, it’s clip for a caller procreation of leaders. They’re the ones that request to marque the decisions that volition signifier the satellite they volition beryllium surviving in," Romney said successful a statement obtained by Fox News Digital astatine the time.

Staggs was 1 of the archetypal candidates to airs a imaginable situation to Romney and has since picked up endorsements from respective salient Republicans, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Arizona Senate campaigner Kari Lake, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., erstwhile statesmanlike campaigner Vivek Ramaswamy, among others.

He has besides received the backing of Utah's largest constabulary union — the Utah Fraternal Order of Police, which labeled Staggs arsenic "a longtime protagonist of instrumentality enforcement and specifically the FOP."

Staggs was 1 of the archetypal candidates to airs a imaginable situation to Romney and has since picked up endorsements from respective salient Republicans and the state's largest constabulary union. (Trent Staggs)

"He understands the request to support our information arsenic good arsenic our moving conditions, and we wholeheartedly endorse his candidacy," the national said successful a connection to Fox past June.

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The victor astatine Saturday’s authorities GOP convention, which tends to favour far-right candidates who entreaty to the astir zealous enactment members, whitethorn get a bump successful the race. Some losing candidates inactive whitethorn suffice for the June 25 superior ballot by gathering signatures, truthful Republican voters volition yet determine the party’s prime to win Romney.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.