Trump gives 'complete and total endorsement' to Trent Staggs in Utah Senate race

Donald Trump and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney have long been engaged in a bitter public war of words, and over the weekend, the former president threw his support behind the man he hopes will ascend to the legislative seat his nemesis will soon vacate.

On Saturday, Trump gave his highly-coveted endorsement to Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs in what was surely a massive boost to the GOP hopeful's prospects this fall, as the Daily Caller reports.

“Complete and total” support

It was back in September that Romney declared that he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2024, paving the way for Trump to anoint a new choice for the soon-to-be-open seat.

Staggs succeeded in winning Trump's support, as evidenced by the full-throated endorsement he received from the former president on Truth Social.

“Trent Staggs is 100% MAGA, and is running to fill The Mitt Romney, a Total Loser, Seat as the next Senator from the Great State of Utah!” Trump wrote.

The former president and presumptive GOP nominee went on, “A Highly Successful Entrepreneur, who has served brilliantly as Mayor of Riverton for the past six years, Trent knows how to Create Jobs, Stop Inflation, Grow the Economy, and Secure the Border.”

Trump went on, “As your next Senator, Trent will help us Unleash American Energy, Support our Military/Vets, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment. Trent Staggs has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

“He will be a GREAT Senator, and never let you down,” Trump's statement concluded.

From strength to strength

It was not long after Trump issued his endorsement that Staggs was selected by state delegates as the Utah Republican Party convention nominee to succeed Romney, as the Deseret News reported.

Despite a crowded field, Staggs took 69.7% of the vote after he told delegates in a series of speeches that he was committed to tackling the D.C. establishment and bolster the America First agenda championed by Trump.

The second-place finisher was current U.S. Rep. John Curtis, though he garnered just 30.3% of the total vote.

Staggs is clearly committed to cementing himself as the competitor most closely aligned with Trump, and he has succeeded in drawing endorsements from key campaign surrogates including Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Arizona Senate hopeful Kari Lake, and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), but whether that support will translate to a win in the state's June primary, only time will tell.