Trump is taking huge risks that could put an end to his political life: columnist

Donald Trump’s doling of last-minute endorsements in Ohio and Pennsylvania Republican Senate primaries is another attempt for him to show his political power, but according to the Washington Post's Henry Olsen, the former president's status as the GOP’s kingmaker "already stands on shaky ground."

"His first endorsee in the Pennsylvania Senate race, Sean Parnell, dropped out after his estranged wife accused him of spousal and child abuse (which Parnell denies)," Olsen writes. "And Trump’s pick in the Alabama Senate race, Rep. Mo Brooks, started in first place but gradually sank to third in the polls as he failed to keep up with two big-spending foes. Trump then withdrew his endorsement, apparently attempting to avoid defeat by abandoning ship. Savvy politicos nonetheless took note: Trump could command, but the GOP tides might not listen."

Trump's endorsements have prompted criticism from conservatives, and reportedly even sparked a fight among some of his own advisers.

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Olsen writes that Trump is looking to change the narrative after his questionable endorsements J.D. Vance and Mehmet Oz in the GOP primaries for the Senate seats in Ohio and Pennsylvania, neither of whom are frontrunners.

Either way, if Vance and Oz win, Trump will certainly claim their wins are due to his influence. If they lose, he'll blame them and minimize their star power. "This is a classic Trump recipe — a little bit of fact folded into a lot of balderdash."

But the "risks to Trump’s standing are immense," writes Olsen. "If Vance or Oz loses, it will be clear that Trump’s blessing cannot move mountains. If both lose, it will amplify the growing sense that Trump’s political influence is like a fading television hit rapidly losing its audience. If that happens, it will be only a matter of time before the show is canceled."

Read the full op-ed over at The Washington Post.

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