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President Donald Trump said Saturday he is withdrawing his endorsement of Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., over what he described as a lack of support for his tariff policies, and instead backed Hurd’s Republican primary challenger.
In a post on Truth Social, the president criticized Hurd’s position on trade and announced his support for Hope Scheppelman in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.
“Based of a lack of support, in particular for the unbelievably successful TARIFFS imposed on Foreign Countries and Companies which has made America Richer, Stronger, Bigger, and Better than ever before, I am hereby WITHDRAWING my Endorsement of RINO Congressman Jeff Hurd, of Colorado’s 3rd District, and fully Endorsing Highly Respected Patriot, Hope Scheppelman, to take his place in Congress,” President Trump wrote.
Hurd was one of six House Republicans who joined Democrats earlier this month in approving a resolution to repeal the president’s tariffs on Canada by terminating the national emergency declaration the president had used to justify the action.
In a post on X, Hurd defended his vote, arguing that Congress holds primary authority over foreign trade policy.
“If we normalize broad emergency trade powers today, we should expect that a future president—of either party—will rely on the same authority in ways many of us would strongly oppose. Institutional consistency matters. The Constitution does not shift depending on who occupies the White House. My responsibility is to defend the separation of powers regardless of political convenience,” Hurd wrote.
During the vote, President Trump warned Republicans of potential political consequences if they opposed his tariff agenda. On Saturday, he followed through by rescinding his endorsement.
“Congressman Hurd is one of a small number of Legislators who have let me and our Country down. He is more interested in protecting Foreign Countries that have been ripping us off for decades than he is the United States of America,” the president wrote.
Trump said it was only the second time he has withdrawn an endorsement, referencing former Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, who lost a 2022 Republican primary after the president switched his backing to Katie Britt.
The endorsement shift came one day after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that President Trump exceeded his authority under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act in imposing broad tariffs. The president has since announced a new 15 percent universal tariff on imports.
