Longtime Trump Supporter Says Ex-President Refused To Endorse Without $1Mil Input



Steph Bazzle reports on social issues and religion for Hill…
Donald Trump’s endorsements haven’t all exactly rung the bell for his MAGA voters. Some have caused his fans to question exactly what it is that goes into his endorsements, exactly what qualifies a candidate. Now, one of the candidates he didn’t endorse has responded to that question — and the answer amounts to money and favors.

Ron Watkins is one of seven candidates in Arizona’s Republican Primary to represent the state’s second Congressional district. He also happens to be the administrator of a site called 8kun — where ‘Q,’ of the q-anon conspiracy network, surfaced.
On Friday, Donald Trump held a rally in Arizona, and was actually booed by his audience for his endorsement of Watkins’ opponent, Eli Crane. The Daily Beast reports that Trump responded by asking the audience for reassurance that they still like him, even if they don’t support all his nominations.
However, Watkins seems to have decided it’s time to let the proverbial cat out of the MAGA sack, and PatriotTakes captured screenshots of his declaration on Telegram, where he shared what he was told it would take to earn an endorsment.
After Trump endorsed his opponent at his latest Arizona rally, Republican candidate Ron Watkins, whose website platformed Q, revealed he declined Trump’s endorsement requirements:
1. Invest a million dollars into the campaign.
2. Hire a “specific person” at $10K/mo pic.twitter.com/Kk6CHMIcek— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) July 24, 2022
Watkkins starts out with his MAGA bonafides: he used his platform to support Trump, Q appeared there, and Watkins was, he says, an unsung proponent of the Stop the Steal movement after Trump’s 2020 loss.
Still, he’s not surprised to be skipped over for an endorsement — let’s zoom in on the most relevant portion of the rant.

Watkins says, “I asked a prominent person close to Trump what it would take to get the [former] president’s endorsement. The person that I asked told me that I needed to put a million dollars of my own money into the campaign, hire a specific person into my campaign for $10,000 a month, give that person a win bonus, and then the endorsement would probably come.”
Donald Trump has not responded to the allegation that he is holding nominations over the heads of candidates, requiring them to do financial favors for preferred staffers as a prerequisite to be eligible for endorsement.
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Steph Bazzle reports on social issues and religion for Hill Reporter. She focuses on stories that speak to everyone's right to practice what they believe in and receive the support of their communities and government officials. You can reach her at Steph@HillReporter.com
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