A Republican senator who desperately needs Donald Trump’s endorsement for a runoff election later this month was ridiculed on social media Tuesday for his obvious attempt at appealing to the president’s massive ego.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) may be the incumbent, but his political career could be toast later this month if Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton beats him in a May 26 runoff election for the Republican nomination.
A recent poll of Republican voters had Paxton leading Cornyn 48% to 45%. So far, Trump hasn’t endorsed either candidate, despite promising to “make a decision … maybe relatively soon,” a few days ago.
Since time is obviously of the essence, Cornyn apparently decided to use his power as a senator to rename a highway after the president — perhaps in a bid to sway Trump to his side.
Cornyn’s legislation would designate U.S. Route 287, which runs through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas, as a future interstate highway that would be renamed I-47 to honor Trump, the 47th president ― get it?
“Texas is Trump Country, and this bill cements that legacy by designating nearly 1,800 miles of open-road from Texas’ Gulf Coast to the edge of the U.S.-Canadian border as I-47 to forever be remembered as Trump Interstate,” Cornyn said in a statement.
Considering Trump’s endorsement could help Cornyn win the runoff, many people on social media thought the bill was an obvious attempt to curry favor with the president.
And, yes, there was mockery.
HuffPost reached out to Cornyn’s office for comment, but no one immediately responded.
However, he hasn’t always been so sycophantic toward Trump.
Back in 2023, he was skeptical about Trump’s ability to win in 2024, and admitted, “I think President Trump’s time has passed him by and what’s the most important thing to me is we have a candidate who can actually win.”