Trump Ties Cornyn’s Criticism of Victim Fund to Primary Endorsement
Trump defends a compensation fund for people he calls victims of the Biden administration and links John Cornyn's opposition to a Texas Senate primary loss.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump defended a proposed compensation fund for people he described as victims of the previous administration, tying John Cornyn’s criticism of the plan to a Texas Senate primary Trump helped decide.
The fund would benefit what Trump called American patriots whose lives the administration of Joe Biden destroyed, and would exclude any payment to Trump himself, he said in the post. Trump wrote that Cornyn, the four-term Texas senator, raised no objection to the fund until Trump backed his Republican primary rival.
“John Cornyn never had a problem with the so called “Fund,” which will not benefit me, but rather the great American Patriots who were hunted down like dogs and whose lives were unfairly and illegally destroyed by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, until after I decided to Endorse and Support his Republican Primary opponent in Texas,” Trump said.
The post carries stakes for Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general whom Trump urged the Senate to confirm as U.S. Attorney General. Trump framed the fund as compensation owed to people he said were persecuted. He cast Cornyn’s shift as evidence of political calculation rather than principle.
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “John Cornyn never had a problem with the so called “Fund,” which will not benefit me, but rather the great American Patriots who were hunted down like dogs and whose lives were unfairly and illegally destroyed by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, until after I decided to Endorse and Support his Republican Primary opponent in Texas, who easily won the Nomination for the United States Senate. Perhaps there has never been a group of people treated so badly in our Nation’s history. They are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them. I gave up any payments for myself, which would have been substantial, including for the illegal and unprecedented raid on Mar-a-Lago, my home in Florida, even though many legal experts, and others, including John Cornyn, said it was a shocking and disgusting display of “weaponization” against me. Such an event has never happened before, and hopefully will never happen again! I will always feel that these victims of government abuse should be paid back for what they were forced to endure, their lives have been ruined! Millions of people agree with me, as was proven in my landslide Presidential win, where this was a major subject of debate, and so did John Cornyn, until he lost his Election to an opponent that I Endorsed. Todd Blanche, a good man, should be immediately approved as U.S. Attorney General. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump” on July 31, 2026 at 7:03 AM ET.
This is Trump’s 1st message released today. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 16 of his 446 posts over the last 30 days focused on legal matters.
Cornyn lost his first election in more than four decades this year, falling to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican Senate primary. Cornyn served as a former Texas Supreme Court justice, the first Republican to become Texas attorney general since Reconstruction and the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, according to texastribune.org. Paxton defeated Cornyn for the GOP nomination on May 26, 2026, according to texastribune.org.
Cornyn’s defeat marked a break from the Bush-style conservative politics that long defined Texas, according to texasstandard.org. He first won his Senate seat in 2002, running to replace retiring Sen. Phil Gramm, and held it for more than two decades, according to texasstandard.org. His work on a bipartisan gun measure after the Uvalde school shooting drew jeers at the Texas GOP convention and criticism from Trump, who labeled him a Republican in Name Only, according to texastribune.org.
For the average reader, the dispute signals how Senate confirmations and endorsement politics now intertwine. A confirmed attorney general oversees federal prosecutors and the Justice Department, decisions that shape criminal enforcement across the country, according to britannica.com.
This is not the first time a president has pressed the Senate over an attorney general pick. The Senate holds the constitutional power to confirm Cabinet nominees, and confirmation fights have stalled or sunk past nominees, according to senate.gov. Blanche’s advancement now rests with that chamber.
The next decision falls to the U.S. Senate, which must vote on Blanche’s confirmation. A date for that vote has not been announced.
Presidents clashing with senators from their own party over patronage and appointments has happened before. In 1881, President James A. Garfield fought Sen. Roscoe Conkling of New York over a customs house appointment, a battle that split the Republican Party into factions, according to britannica.com. Conkling resigned his Senate seat in protest and expected the New York legislature to reelect him, but it refused, ending his career, according to britannica.com.
Assigned topic: Legal.
This is Trump’s 1st Truth Social post today, out of 1 total today.
On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Trump’s last post was 11 hours ago.
This post is not part of a thread.
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