- Trump claimed to endorse Democratic Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler, and Dan Goldman.
- Goldman, a lawyer who led Trump's first impeachment hearing, said Trump was "trying to meddle in an election."
- If the endorsements are intended to sour Democratic voters on the candidates, they're reminiscent of efforts by Democrats to meddle in the 2022 Republican primaries.
Former President Donald Trump put out a baffling set of posts on Truth Social on Wednesday in which he praised Democrats he has previously criticized and even endorsed the lawyer that led his first impeachment.
The seemingly sarcastic endorsements came as Trump continues to wield his power over the Republican party in the midterms, evidenced in part on Tuesday when Rep. Liz Cheney handily lost her primary in Wyoming.
In the first post, Trump endorsed Dan Goldman, who is running to represent New York's 10th district in the US Congress. Goldman was the House Democrats' top counsel in Trump's 2019 impeachment.
"I do this not because of the fact that he headed up the Impeachment Committee and lost, but because he was honorable, fair, and highly intelligent," Trump wrote. The House succeeded in impeaching Trump in both 2019 and 2021, though he was not convicted in the Senate in either case.
"While it was my honor to beat him, and beat him badly, Dan Goldman has a wonderful future ahead," Trump said, adding: "I would like to thank Dan for fighting so hard for America, and for working so tirelessly to stop 'Trump.' He was not easy to beat, but winning against him made me realize just how very talented I am!"
Goldman quickly responded to the apparent backhanded endorsement.
"Last week Donald Trump attacked Dan Goldman, who led his impeachment. Now he's pretending to endorse Goldman. True to form, Trump is trying to meddle in an election," Goldman said in a statement shared on Twitter. "This is a pathetic attempt at fooling Democrats who are far smarter than Trump is, and it's clear that only one candidate in NY-10 is living rent-free in Trump's head."
Trump followed up with posts praising Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler, longtime Democratic stalwarts who are now running against each other for the House due to redrawn congressional districts in New York City.
Trump said he was endorsing Maloney for New York's 12th district.
"She is a kind and wonderful person, who has always said terrific things about me, and will support me no matter what I do, just as I supported her very early on," Trump wrote.
"On the other hand, Jerry Nadler is likewise a hard driving man of the people, whose energy and attention to detail is unlike anyone else in Congress. He is high energy, sharp, quick-witted, and bright," Trump said of Nadler, who pushed for Trump's first impeachment.
"You can't go wrong with either, but Carolyn Maloney is the better man. She will lead our Country into a very GREEN and prosperous future. Carolyn has my Complete and Total Endorsement, she will never let our Conservative Movement down!" he continued.
Maloney rejected the endorsement in a statement on Twitter.
"This is laughable and I reject any endorsement from Donald Trump. Trump doesn't respect women. He instigated the attacks on January 6th and claimed that the 2020 election was a big lie," she wrote. "He should be more concerned about the investigation I'm leading as Chair of the Oversight Committee into the storage of his classified documents at Mar-a-Lago."
Representatives for Trump and Nadler did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
If the endorsements are intended to sour Democratic voters on the candidates, they're reminiscent of efforts by Democrats to sway the 2022 Republican primaries.
Democrats have even funded ads promoting far-right candidates who they anticipate will be easier to beat in the general elections, a move that has been criticized as risky.
