Trump Praises Paul Gosar After Censure: He ‘Has My Complete and Total Endorsement!’

In one of the least surprising developments of the Paul Gosar censure saga, Donald Trump has endorsed the Arizona Republican congressman.

Gosar was censured and stripped of his committee assignments by the House of Representatives on Wednesday after he tweeted an anime cartoon depicting him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). only two Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the measure.

About an hour after the censure vote, Gosar re-shared the cartoon.

On Thursday, Trump issued a statement praising the congressman while giving him his “complete and total endorsement”:

Congressman Paul Gosar has been a loyal supporter of our America First agenda, and even more importantly, Paul is a Congressman who is highly respected in Arizona, strong on Crime, Borders, our Military, and our Veterans. He continually fights for Lower Taxes, Less Regulations, and our great, but under siege, Second Amendment. Paul Gosar has my Complete and Total Endorsement!

Gosar has been a controversial figure. In February, he met with White nationalist and Holocaust-denier Nick Fuentes, and gave the keynote address at an event Fuentes organized. The congressman has also touted baseless election conspiracy theories, and has cast deceased Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt as something of a martyr. He’s gone so far as to say she was “executed” by a police officer “lying in wait.”

As far Gosar being “highly respected,” Arizona Democratic congressman Ruben Gallego disagrees.

“He has hung out with anti-Semites, has said anti-Semitic phrases and tropes, threatened the president also,” Gallego said on Monday. “It’s time to move on. He’s a joke. He’s been a joke to Congress.”

Despite Trump’s endorsement, it’s unclear if Gosar will run for reelection in 2022.