Trump Boasts His Endorsement is 'Strongest in History of Politics'

President Donald Trump has lashed out against television journalist Kristen Welker and the "radical left" news media for casting doubt over the success of his endorsement record, which he described as "the strongest" in "the history of politics." In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday, Trump attacked Welker, who moderates NBC News' Meet the Press for alleging that he had "mixed results" in his endorsement of candidates in recent elections. Welker, according to the president, will be reported to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for "rebuke or punishment" because of the "purposeful inaccuracy" with which she portrayed his endorsement record. "Kristen Welker, the Unpopular 'Hostess' of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press, just stated that Donald Trump has 'mixed results; on his Endorsements of Candidates, when the recent WINS of Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei, stand at 100 percent for the U.S. Senate, and 98 percent for the U.S. House," Trump wrote on social media. The FCC is an independent agency that oversees broadcast, radio and other networks, and which critics say has become increasingly politicized during Trump's second term under the leadership of Brendan Carr. Newsweek reached out to NBC News and the White House for comment by email on Sunday.

What Is Trump's Endorsement Record?

During Trump's first term, from 2017 to 2021, Ballotpedia tracked 305 endorsements. In 2026 alone, the president has made 312 primary endorsements so far, with 97 percent of his endorsed candidates winning their primaries through early July, according to the elections tracker.

When looking at his long-term record, Trump has had more success in primaries than in general elections. In 2018, his primary success rate was 95 percent, while his general election success rate was 59 percent; in 2019, these were 80 percent and 67 percent, respectively.

In 2020, he reported a 97 percent success rate in primaries and a 79 percent success rate in general elections; in 2021, he had a 100 percent success rate in both primaries and general elections, but he also made an unusually lower number of endorsements, five in total.

In 2022, he had a 93 percent primary success rate out of 241 endorsements, and an 84 percent general election success rate out of a total of 254 endorsements.

In 2023, he had a primary success rate of 67 percent, the lowest during both his terms so far, and a general election success rate of 80 percent; in 2024, his primary success rate had gone up to 96 percent and his general election success rate to 89 percent.

In 2025, he endorsed a total of nine candidates, four in primaries and nine in general elections, with a success rate of 100 percent and 43 percent, respectively.

This year, as of August 5, he had endorsed 313 primary candidates with a success rate of 96 percent, as well as 39 general election candidates, according to Ballotpedia. General elections still need to take place later this year, and that is why the president's success rate in this field is currently 0 percent on the tracker.

Since 5 August, Trump's record in major Republican primaries has been mixed but still positive. On August 11, his endorsed candidates Rhett Marques, Jerry Carl, and Gary Palmer all won Alabama congressional primaries, while Tom Tiffany won the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary.

But the president suffered a notable setback in Minnesota, where his endorsed candidate Mike Lindell lost the Republican gubernatorial primary to Lisa Demuth. In South Carolina's special Senate primary, Trump's pick Darline Graham finished first but was forced into a runoff after failing to clear 50 percent, which she won this week.

On August 18, Trump-endorsed candidates Byron Donalds and Ashley Moody won their primaries for the governor post and the state Senate in Florida, while Harriet Hageman won hers for the Wyoming state Senate. In Alaska, Dan Sullivan and Nick Begich III advanced from the state's top-four primary system.

But on the same day, several other Trump-endorsed candidates took significant losses: Florida Congressman Cory Mills was defeated by Ryan Elijah, Catalina Lauf lost a crowded primary in Florida's 19th District, and the president's preferred Wyoming gubernatorial candidate Megan Degenfelder was beaten by State Senator Eric Barlow.

A week later, on August 25, Trump-endorsed Mike Mazzei won Oklahoma's Republican gubernatorial runoff.

How Does It Compare to that of Previous Presidents?

Trump's endorsement record can hardly be compared to that of Joe Biden, who endorsed far fewer candidates while president. In 2021 he endorsed only three candidates, with a general election success rate of 50 percent.

In 2022, he endorsed three primary candidates and nine general election candidates, with a success rate of 67 percent and 89 percent respectively. In 2023, he endorsed 24 candidates in general elections, with a 71 percent success rate.

In 2024, his last year in office, he endorsed two candidates in primary elections with a success rate of 100 percent. He did not endorse any candidates in general elections, according to Ballotpedia.

But, as it turns out, Biden is not the only one who cannot keep up with Trump's endorsement record, if only because the president has been particularly prolific, in the history of U.S. politics, in lending his support to certain Republican candidates. Other presidents, like Barack Obama, have been much more careful about declaring their support for a candidate during their time in the Oval Office.

With one important exception: in 2016, Obama released a list of 150 candidates in state and federal election he would endorse, for an effort which POLITICO described at the time as "an unprecedented engagement all the way down-ballot for any president" in 2016, when he was no longer in the White House.

Any earlier comparison is hard, as presidents' endorsements were not as consistently tracked as they are now.

Has Trump Had 'Mixed Results'?

According to Justin Vaughn, a professor of political science at Coastal Carolina University, Trump "remains by far the most important individual endorser in the nation, for either party."

Despite his stellar track record, there are limits to his influence. The president "shapes a huge number of votes, but the evidence this cycle suggests that his endorsement is more of an advantage than a command when the office at stake is governor," Vaughn previously told Newsweek.

There is a reason why Trump's influence might be weaker in certain elections, Vaughn said.

"Gubernatorial races leave more space for state issues, governing experience, personality, and local political networks to minimize the power of a presidential endorsement," he explained.

"President Trump still shapes a huge number of votes, but the evidence this cycle suggests that his endorsement is more of an advantage than a command when the office at stake is governor."

Boleslaw Z. Kabala, visiting assistant professor of political science at Tarleton State University in Texas, told Newsweek: "A candidate can sometimes win despite not being Trump's pick. But very few win by running against Trump."

"Lisa Demuth did beat Trump-backed Mike Lindell, but she did not run as an anti-Trump Republican, presenting herself instead as the more electable, 'governing' candidate. Rick Jackson did beat Trump-backed Burt Jones in Georgia, but he did it with extraordinary self-funding, and he also ran as a conservative outsider rather than as a Trump critic," she added.

"Overall, Trump remains the dominant endorsement figure in Republican primaries. The Massie loss, Paxton win, Cassidy collapse, and Indiana redistricting fallout, not to mention the Tiffany nomination, all show continuing Trump leverage. That remains very real, even if the Lindell and Burt Jones losses show his endorsement is not a substitute for candidate quality or campaign fundamentals."

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Trevor Davies