After eight years of hand-wringing about the behavior of former President Donald Trump and vowing not to cast a ballot for him, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox endorsed the Republican presidential nominee Friday morning.
The abrupt U-turn comes a week after Cox said he would not vote for either Trump or Democrat Joe Biden in the 2024 election.
Cox has previously said he did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020. That, the governor said, will change this year, confirming he will cast a ballot for Trump in November.
The governor’s about-face comes amid reports that Trump was committed to turning down the temperature of the current political moment after he was wounded during an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
“I’ve heard from people around him that he is committed to this,” Cox said at his monthly televised news conference. “This is something that hasn’t been high on his list in the past. I think that’s probably an understatement. I’ll work closely with him to help do that.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox at his monthly news conference in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 19, 2024.
What happens if Trump goes back to his usual campaign trail behavior of name-calling and attacking his political opponents? Cox said that would not be a deal-breaker for him.
“Change is hard for all of us, and it’s probably harder the older we get. What we have seen and heard is that he is very interested in this,” Cox said. “I’m not naive to think that it will be a total change or anything like that. I’ve made my commitment that I will do this, and, as a man of my word, I’ll follow through.”
Politically, Cox’s endorsement does not significantly impact the trajectory of the 2024 race. Trump is likely to carry Utah for a third straight election, something Cox acknowledged Friday.
Republican strategist Mary Anna Mancuso said she was puzzled by Cox’s reasoning for reversing his stance on Trump.
“It’s astounding to me. I heard Thursday’s speech where Trump disseminated over 30 lies,” Mancuso said. “He (Cox) must have forgotten that Trump is also a convicted felon.”
If Cox wins in November, he has pledged not to run for a third term. Mancuso said that could be a motivating factor behind the governor’s reversal on Trump.
“As a governor who has committed himself to two terms, this change looks like it was done with an eye to the future,” Mancuso said. “That’s apparent in a move like this.”
The newfound commitment to more genteel campaign rhetoric does not extend to Trump’s family. During a discussion with right-wing commentators Dan Bongino and Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump Jr. referred to Cox this week with an insult used in some conservative circles for someone who is viewed as weak or submissive.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Brian King suggested Cox’s flip-flop on Trump was more opportunistic than driven by personal conviction.
“After publicly declaring just days ago that he would not vote for Donald Trump this November, Governor Cox has now kissed the ring and given his full endorsement to Trump, a convicted felon. This is the same Trump who, just last night, called for mass deportations and lied about the 2020 election results,” King said in a statement. “This is another example of Governor Cox not sticking to principles but going where the wind blows him.”