President Donald Trump listens during a roundtable discussion on the First Step Act, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, in Gulfport, Miss. at left is Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon - Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
The junior U.S. Senator from Mississippi announced her support via Facebook just hours after the former President pleaded not guilty to charges in New York.
On Tuesday, just hours after former President Donald Trump appeared for his arraignment in New York where he is facing 34 charges stemming from what prosecutors allege as falsification of business records, Mississippi U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican, announced that she would be endorsing Trump in his 2024 bid for the White House.
RELATED: Trump pleads not guilty, high stakes legal battle begins
The former President pleaded not guilty to all counts at his hearing on Tuesday.
Trump is seeking the Republican nomination for the presidency a third time. He defeated a crowded primary field in 2016 before winning the General Election over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Four years later, Trump lost the 2020 General Election to now President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to the seat by former Governor Phil Bryant following the resignation of longtime U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, won a special election in 2018 over three opponents. She went on to run unopposed in the 2020 Republican Primary and ultimately won a six-year term to the Senate in the General Election. Hyde-Smith will be up for re-election in 2026.
Senator Hyde-Smith said Tuesday on Facebook that the prosecution of Trump in New York “is a political stunt by a prosecutor whose campaign was funded by George Soros.”
“That charade is all about self-promotion by the prosecutor and has nothing to do with justice. I believe the whole affair will backfire on the prosecutor and Democrats,” Hyde-Smith wrote.
She went on to say that President Trump’s policies while in office made America better.
“Because of his agenda, we secured hundreds of miles across the U.S.-Mexico border, we cut taxes, we appointed conservative judges, we had a healthy economy, wages were increasing, we were respected around the globe, and we were energy independent,” Hyde-Smith opined, adding, “I support a return to those policies and to President Trump’s effective leadership.”
The junior Mississippi Senator said Trump has been attentive to the needs of Mississippi, noting that he has made multiple trips to the state along with members of his Administration. She said Mississippians can count on him to continue to focus on the state’s priorities.
“Therefore, I am endorsing Donald J. Trump for another term in the White House and will be working to assist him in winning the Republican nomination for President in 2024,” Senator Hyde-Smith wrote. “I urge my fellow Mississippians and fellow Republicans across the country to join me in supporting President Trump and working on his behalf.”
Senator Hyde-Smith endorsed Trump’s previous bids for the White House as well.
According to The Hill, Hyde-Smith’s endorsement of Trump is the sixth such endorsement for the former President’s 2024 campaign from sitting Senators. The U.S. Senators who have announced their intention to back Trump are Republicans Lindsey Graham (SC), Tommy Tuberville (AL), Markwayne Mullin (OK), Eric Schmitt (MO) and J.D. Vance (OH).
