President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, calling him a “disloyal disaster” and a “terrible guy” in a Truth Social post on Saturday, just hours before polls closed in the state’s primary election. Cassidy was subsequently defeated, becoming the first incumbent senator to lose a primary in over a decade.
Trump’s rant focused on Cassidy’s 2021 vote to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial over the January 6 Capitol attack. “His entire past campaign for the Senate was about ‘TRUMP,’ how he’s with me all the way, and then, after winning, he turned around and voted to IMPEACH me for something that has now proven to be total ‘bulls***!’” Trump wrote. He added, “Bill Cassidy is a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA.”
Cassidy faced two other GOP candidates in the primary, including Trump-endorsed Representative Julia Letlow. Trump urged Louisiana residents to vote for Letlow, calling her a “winner who will NEVER let you down.” Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry also endorsed Letlow earlier this year.
Cassidy acknowledged last month that his impeachment vote might be a liability but emphasised his working relationship with Trump. “If you want somebody who works well with President Trump, you vote for Bill Cassidy,” he told The Washington Post, noting that Trump had signed into law four bills he had written or negotiated.
Cassidy, a physician, was first elected to the House in 2008 and won his Senate seat in 2014. Following his defeat, he told NBC News, “I’m focused on the now and the future. If you want somebody delivering for our state, to make Louisiana a place where people move to set down roots, raise their children and grandchildren, I’m your guy.”
