Donald Trump blasts Virginia Gov. ‘Young Kin,’ says he ‘couldn’t have won without me’

Former President Donald Trump has now targeted Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin on Truth Social, saying that Youngkin would never have been elected without Trump’s support and also appeared to suggest that he was tied to China.

“Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?) in Virginia couldn’t have won without me. I Endorsed him, did a very big Trump Rally for him telephonically, got MAGA to vote for him — or he couldn’t have come close to winning. But he knows that and admits it,” Trump wrote, according to Mediaite.

His comments came after two Virginia Republicans, Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears and Del. Tim Anderson, blamed Trump for the Republican Party’s underwhelming performance in the midterms and said that his power in the party is waning.

Political experts say that Trump’s comments towards Youngkin, and others mocking Florida Gov. DeSantis, were aimed to put-down his potential opponents in the 2024 presidential election.

“This is Trump looking out to the field of potential competitors and firing a few shots across the bow,” Ben Melusky, who is assistant professor of political science at Old Dominion University, wrote in The Virginian-Pilot.

He added, “If you are Trump, you are focusing the attention of your followers on these potential opponents with the goal to start creating stark differences between you and them.”

Youngkin responded to Trump’s message, telling reporters on Friday that now is the time to unify the nation.

“I work really hard to bring people together; I do not call people names,” Youngkin said, according to WVEC. “This is a moment for us to come together. As a nation, we still have some elections outstanding that haven’t been finalized and we’ve got to find (a way) forward.”

Gianni Snidle, who is spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Virginia, said Trump’s post was “blatantly racist, disgusting, and unnecessary.” Snidle, also questioned why Youngkin didn’t “buck Trump” in his response.