President Donald Trump unloaded on Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., on Wednesday after the congressman lost South Carolina’s Republican Senate runoff, arguing that Norman destroyed his political career by endorsing former Gov. Nikki Haley over Trump during the 2024 presidential primary.
Norman was defeated Tuesday by Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who entered the runoff with Trump’s full support.
Trump appeared at Graham’s Myrtle Beach campaign rally Friday, while MAGA Inc., a super PAC operated by the president’s advisers, spent nearly $800,000 supporting her campaign.
Norman addressed Trump’s involvement in the race during his concession speech Tuesday night. Some members of the audience began booing when the president’s name was mentioned.
“Well, y’all, his policies are good,” Norman responded before acknowledging that he “never” understood why Trump decided to become involved in the contest.
Trump appeared to fire back at Norman’s remarks in a Wednesday post on Truth Social, offering a blunt assessment of the congressman’s career.
“Ralph Norman had the look of a good Congressman (Not great, but good), but ruined his career when he endorsed Nikki Haley,” Trump wrote.
Norman supported Haley, South Carolina’s former governor, during the 2024 Republican presidential primary instead of backing Trump.
MS NOW political analyst Tim Miller also pointed to Norman’s Haley endorsement while discussing Graham’s victory shortly after the result was announced Tuesday evening.
“Trump is petty, and Ralph Norman, despite being a big supporter of the insurrection and one of the organizers of the insurrection rally, actually, then ended up endorsing Nikki Haley, his home state former governor,” Miller said.
“I think that this is just as simple as that, like it’s payback for Trump,” he added.
Miller then offered a sharply critical assessment of Graham, arguing that she represented the type of senator Trump wanted in Washington.
“Darline Graham, on top of that, offers Trump really kind of his model senator, right?” Miller said. “Somebody who just is a total empty vessel. They’ll just do whatever he wants.”
“She doesn’t know anything about the issues,” he continued. “She doesn’t have any thoughts on her own.”
Trump repeatedly targeted Haley with personal attacks during their battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
The president frequently referred to Haley as “Birdbrain” throughout the primary campaign. Trump once took the insult even further by sending a birdcage and bird food to Haley’s hotel room.
Norman’s decision to back Haley resurfaced after his runoff loss, with both Trump and Miller pointing to the endorsement as a central factor in the president’s support for Graham.
Trump’s Wednesday message left little doubt that he still viewed Norman’s endorsement of Haley as a career-defining political mistake.
[READ MORE: James Carville Tries to Reject Trump Victory Narrative In spite of Big Wins]
