Despite mounting federal indictments and civil lawsuits, and increasingly extreme rhetoric from Trump, Barr is backing the former president in his bid to retake the White House — writing on X that he’s “proud” to announce the endorsement.
Barr went on to tell Fox News, “As Kentuckians and Americans, we must rally behind a leader who understands the importance of strong leadership, both at home and abroad.”
The Kentucky Republican has been a vocal critic of President Biden’s economic policies and now says Trump is only candidate who can beat Biden.
Barr has remained mum on many Trump controversies. But in the hours following the January 6th Capitol riot, the lawmaker characterized the events this way on WKYT.
"I think that some of the president's language was regrettable. I also believe that we cannot ignore some of the major problems that occurred during the 2020 elections with the allegations of fraud and irregularities that may very well stoke this sense of distrust," Barr said. "But in either case, none of that is an excuse for violence or storming the Capitol."
In the years since, repeated court rulings and exhaustive press inquiries have found no evidence of widespread fraud in 2020.
Barr voted against impeaching Trump following January 6th, saying he disagreed with colleagues who believed Trump’s words amounted to incitement to insurrection.
The new endorsement comes days after Trump approvingly quoted autocrats Vladimir Putin of Russia and Viktor Orban of Hungary in a campaign speech and hours after the former president made another move to toss Georgia election interference charges.
Trump remains popular in Kentucky, according to polls, which show him leading Biden by more than 20 points in hypothetical matchups in the commonwealth.
