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McCormick is running as an independent in the April 23 Republican primary and is expected to face Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey in the general election. Battleground state races could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate next year.
Mr. McCormick previously ran in 2022 to replace retiring Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pennsylvania). However, in the Republican primary, Mr. Trump supported Dr. Mehmet Oz, a well-known figure, who lost to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman.
During the 2022 campaign, Trump denounced McCormick as a “special interest, globalist, Washington establishment candidate.” McCormick said Trump refused to endorse him, saying he did not say the 2020 election was stolen.
McCormick, a Trump supporter, did not attend the Schnecksville rally but thanked Trump for his support on social media. As one of several privately funded Republicans running for Senate this year, he needs less fundraising help from the former president than others.
Casey, who is seeking a fourth term, has won each of his previous bids by large margins. But the race is expected to be one of the closest and most expensive in the Senate this year.
At Saturday night’s rally, President Trump also took the opportunity to address the attack launched by Iran against Israel hours earlier, claiming that if he were president, “that wouldn’t have happened.”
“I want to say God bless the people of Israel. They are under attack right now,” he said. “We are showing great weakness.”
The crowd chanted “Genocide Joe” as President Trump pledged U.S. support for Israel. The term was used by pro-Palestinian protesters as a way to criticize President Biden’s support for Israel in the Gaza war.
Trump paused for a moment before saying, “They’re not wrong.”
But in the final days of his presidency, President Trump downplayed Iran’s attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq. As a result, dozens of soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries.
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