Trump issues dual endorsement for Missouri attorney general, backs Bailey and Scharf

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a dual endorsement in the Republican primary for Missouri attorney general and pledged his support to both candidates.

Trump announced the decision on his social media platform, Truth Social, amid a hotly-contested primary between incumbent Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Will Scharf, a former federal prosecutor who serves on Trump’s legal team.

“These two men are truly outstanding in every way, shape, and form,” Trump wrote. “I am honored to give both Andrew Bailey and Will Scharf my Complete and Total Endorsement – NEITHER ONE WILL EVER LET YOU DOWN!”

It’s the second time this week that the former president has hedged his endorsement for a Republican primary in Missouri. On Saturday, he endorsed all three major GOP candidates for governor.

The split decision allows both Bailey and Scharf to claim his endorsement before the Aug. 6 primary election. Both quickly seized on the announcement without mentioning that Trump also endorsed their opponent.

Bailey posted a photo of him standing next to Trump and said he was “deeply honored to receive the endorsement of President @realDonaldTrump.”

“His leadership and unwavering commitment to America First principles have been an inspiration,” Bailey wrote.

Scharf posted that he was honored “to have President Trump’s complete and total endorsement for Attorney General!”

“It has been the honor of my lifetime to win big for President Trump in courtrooms across America, including at the US Supreme Court,” he wrote.

While Trump has loomed large over Republican primary races across the country, his presence has featured in the Missouri attorney general’s race to an unusual degree. Scharf is on Trump’s legal team and Bailey has filed numerous briefs in defense of the former president.

With very little daylight on policy between the two candidates, both have tried to outmaneuver the other in their support of Trump.