President Donald Trump on Wednesday called out by name the apparently losing Republican candidates from the midterm elections who had rejected or failed to ask for his support on the campaign trail.
“They did very poorly,” Trump said of those GOP candidates who “didn’t want the embrace” of his support.
“Mia Love gave me no love. And she lost,” Trump said of the U.S. representative from Utah. “Too bad. Sorry about that, Mia.” NBC News had not yet called the race at the time of Trump’s news conference.
The remarks came at the White House, where Trump took a victory lap in the wake of the midterm elections even as Democrats gained majority control of the House. Republicans, however, strengthened their Senate majority.
Trump then moved on to Rep. Barbara Comstock, the two-term GOP incumbent from Virginia who lost to Democrat Jennifer Wexton, NBC News projected.
“I mean, I think she could’ve won that race, but she didn’t want to have any embrace,” Trump said. “For that, I don’t blame her. But she lost, substantially lost.”
The president added that GOP candidates Reps. Peter Roskam and Erik Paulsen also “didn’t want the embrace.”
Republican Reps. Carlos Curbelo of Florida and Mike Coffman of Colorado were also called out by the president.
Trump also expressed disappointment in GOP candidate Bob Hugin’s Senate bid in New Jersey against incumbent Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez.
“Bob Hugin, I feel badly ’cause I think that’s something that could’ve been won. That’s a race that could’ve been won,” Trump said.
