Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the America First Agenda Summit, at the Marriott Marquis hotel on July 26, 2022 in Washington, DC.
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Trump later asked allies Pam Bondi and Matthew Whitaker, both of whom are backing Schmitt, for their views. At another point, he surveyed Chris Cox, the founder of the “Bikers for Trump” coalition, who was also on the Bedminster property. Cox excused himself from the office so he could get a reading of those in his organization. Upon reentering the office, he informed Trump that his crowd was aligned with Greitens.

But Trump circled back to the idea of endorsing the two Erics, reasoning that there were pluses and minuses to both, and that by doing so it would provide to each the opportunity to win with his support. He drafted a statement that would soon go out.

“I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds,” it read, “much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”

The announcement capped a dramatic, nearly one-year-long battle for Trump’s support. While party leaders cautioned Trump against backing Greitens, some of the most prominent members of the MAGA movement — including Guilfoyle, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn — lent him their support. Greitens became a regular guest on “War Room,” the popular podcast hosted by former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon.

People familiar with Trump’s thinking say concerns surrounding Greitens’ past controversies weighed on his decision not to offer a full endorsement of Greitens. At one point on Monday, they said, Trump pointed out that Greitens might face Trudy Busch Valentine, a wealthy Democratic candidate, in the general election. Busch is heir to the Anheuser-Busch brewing fortune.

“She’s not the weak Bush family,” Trump said, referencing his long-running feud with members of the Bush political dynasty. “She’s the strong Busch family.”