Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump suggested Thursday he was happy to not get the endorsement of former House Majority Leader Eric Canter (R-Va.).
Shortly after news emerged that Cantor would endorse GOP presidential rival Jeb Bush and join the former Florida governor’s campaign as a Virginia co-chairman, Trump tweeted:
Cantor stepped down as majority leader last year, less than two months after an embarrassing Republican primary defeat to Rep. Dave Brat, an economics professor little known in political circles.
Shortly thereafter, Cantor resigned from Congress and joined investment bank Moelis & Co. in a senior role. He remains a recognizable figure in national GOP politics.
“Governor Bush is a true conservative leader with a long-term vision for this country and the practical know how to implement it,” Cantor said in a statement released by Bush’s campaign.
The Democratic National Committee invoked the endorsement from Cantor to argue Bush will “go out of his way to show he’s out of touch.”
“Eric Cantor was defeated by GOP primary voters for being too cozy with Wall Street and the GOP establishment, and Jeb Bush is being relegated to middle-of-the-pack status by GOP presidential primary voters for exactly the same reasons,” DNC spokeswoman Christina Freundlich said in a statement.