Former President Donald Trump picked up another endorsement on April 16, with Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) becoming the eighth Republican senator to back Trump as he seeks the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
“It is my honor to give my whole-hearted endorsement to Donald J. Trump to be the next President of the United States. I was honored to previously serve in his Administration,” Hagerty said in a post on Twitter Sunday.
Hagerty, who served under Trump as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2019, praised the former commander-in-chief for his tough stance against the Chinese Communist Party, his energy policies, and for reducing illegal border crossings.
“Under President Trump, our border was secure, our nation was energy independent, & we witnessed a Blue-Collar Boom that lifted up American workers of all backgrounds,” Hagerty said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we engaged with strength, & we encouraged our allies to stand strong with us.”
“President Trump stood up against Communist China, brought an end to [former President Barack] Obama’s failed approach of ‘leading from behind,’ and revived our military and law enforcement as they witnessed support from their Commander-in-Chief that had been lacking—and has now gone missing again after two years of Joe Biden’s presidency,” the 63-year-old continued.
“The mandate for a strong America has never been clearer, and I look forward to working again with President Trump to help our great nation find its way back from the precipice to the exceptional role we can and must play as a nation,” he concluded.
The Tennessee native and businessman won the state’s 2020 Senate race and picked up a seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander. The former envoy rode Trump’s endorsement to a win against Democrat Marquita Bradshaw.
GOP Primary
The seven other Republican senators who have endorsed Trump’s presidential bid are Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
