RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin officially endorsed former President Donald J. Trump as the Republican presidential candidate on Wednesday night.
On Wednesday, Youngkin said on X, formerly known as Twitter: "It’s time to unite around strong leadership and policies that grow our great nation, not four more years of President Biden. Voters in the Commonwealth and across the country have spoked loudly for President Donald J. Trump and I endorse him for President... His record on border security, restoring American leadership around the world, reducing taxes and lowering the cost of living for all Americans stands in stark contract to [Biden's record]."
The endorsement has sparked some negative reactions from Republicans and Democrats. Some on X are wondering why the endorsement came so late.
His announcement comes after a strained relationship between the former president and governor. In 2021, Trump endorsed Youngkin during his run for governor. Then in 2022, Trump made racist and disparaging remarks about Youngkin on his social media platform Truth Social.
Since Governor Youngkin took office, even the phrase "Trump" is practically non-existent in a search of the Governor's personal and professional government accounts on X. However, he has not shied away from public criticism of Democratic Joe Biden.
Before the endorsement was announced, Youngkin's spokesperson last week said his stance was "I’m going to let Virginians choose their candidate, I will support the Republican nominee."