Former President Donald Trump goes against advisers by supporting risky candidates like Dr. Mehmet Oz and Jay Dee Vance in the competitive GOP qualifiers, sources told the Washington Post. The former president was on a spree of support in the run-up to the November election, backing hundreds of candidates for various positions, often simply because they supported his allegations of electoral fraud, the newspaper reported. Some advisers fear that he is reducing the power of his support and that if his preferred candidates do not win, his image as a Republican king will be jeopardized, sources told The Post. “The biggest way to defeat him is to get rid of the idea that he is the strongest supporter in the country,” Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House communications director who was criticized, told The Post. “He still is, but the smart drivers have to play against him in games where he has made stupid claims.” Trump has made a number of risky claims, including David Pardew against incumbent Brian Kemp in the Georgia governor race. Perdue is seven points behind Kemp in the polls, even after approval. In the Pennsylvania Senate race, Trump also backed the television personality Dr. Oz in a surprise move against the advice of some of his advisers, The Post reported. Days before he decided, the former president had also dined with his opponent Dr. Oz, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick, the newspaper reported. His decision to support Oz was met with a backlash among Pennsylvania GOP circles, the newspaper reported. “I’m a gambler,” Trump said of the Pennsylvania race, according to a source speaking to The Post on condition of anonymity. “There is no rhyme or reason for anything he does. I would think he would have supported McCormick,” Alyssa Farah Griffin told The Post. However, he said Trump “loves celebrities. Dr. Oz is a dedicated part of the South Florida country club scene. He is at every charity event.” Trump’s decision this weekend to support “Hillbilly Elegy” writer JD Vance in the Ohio Senate race was also contrary to the advice of some in his circle, The Post reported. Dozens of Ohio Republicans wrote to Trump before announcing his support, calling on him to change his mind over Vance’s previous comments against Trump. Despite previously describing himself as a “Never Trump guy”, Vance has now been positioned as a close ally of the former president. “Everything has to do with victory! Like some others, JD Vance may have said some not-so-great things about me in the past, but he understands now, and I’ve seen it in the sticks. It’s our best chance of winning. “It could be a very difficult fight,” Trump said in a statement in support of Vance. Vance lags behind in many polls in the currently crowded race, but Trump is reportedly willing to take the risk. Dan Eberhard, a Republican donor, told the Washington Post that Trump’s support was “stupid.” “His goal is to reward the slanderers or upset the Apple cart,” Eberhart told the newspaper. Although Trump has not yet confirmed that he will be a public candidate in 2024, he has signaled to advisers that he intends to do so, according to The Post. GOP sources have previously told Insider’s Tom Porter about the secret process by which the hopefuls prove their allegiance to Trump to gain coveted support.
