“Katie Britt, on the other hand, is a fearless America First Warrior,” Trump said in the statement. “Katie is an Incredible Fighter for the people of Alabama. As President and CEO of Alabama’s Business Council, Katie has been working hard to Grow Alabama’s Economy, Create Jobs, and Restore the Great American Dream.”
The endorsement, however, has rankled many of his top supporters who characterize Britt as a candidate of the Republican establishment.
“This is a gut punch. Very disappointing,” conservative radio host Mark Levin wrote in a post on Truth Social — the alternative social media platform backed by Trump — upon learning that Britt had earned Trump’s support.
“Britt is a McConnell-supported RINO,” he added.
Pro-Trump author Ryan Girdusky also posted his support of Brooks alongside Trump’s endorsement
Former Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson posted an article by right-wing outlet Breitbart claiming that Britt has surrounded herself with campaign operatives and donors belonging to the Never Trump wing of the GOP.
“This Katie Britt? Of course he did,” Pierson wrote.
Britt has cast herself as a Trump-aligned conservative while arguing that Brooks, a six-term congressman, is a career politician who only recently embraced the former President after heavily criticizing him during the 2016 GOP presidential primary.
Perhaps most annoyed with Trump’s entry into the runoff was Brooks. In a statement shared by his campaign, Brooks blasted the former President as “the only man in American politics who could get conned by Mitch McConnell twice.”
“Let’s just admit it: Trump endorses the wrong people sometimes. He endorses Mitt Romney, he endorses John McCain and now he’s endorsed Katie Britt, who his own son, Don Jr. called ‘Alabama’s Liz Cheney,'” the Brooks campaign wrote.
CNN’s Dan Merica and Melanie Zanona contributed to this report.
