Donald Trump took time away from his busy Thursday of tweeting and giving a sworn deposition for a lawsuit to personally call about a dozen Ohio Republicans and encourage them to unseat the current state GOP chairman.
On Friday, the 66 members of the Ohio Republican Party Central Committee will vote for the next chairperson, and people familiar with the calls told Politico Trump spoke with several committee members and conveyed that they should oust Matt Borges. He also threw his support behind Jane Timken, a fundraiser during his campaign. The phone list was given to him by his former Ohio director Bob Paduchik, a critic of Borges. If a person didn't pick up, Trump opted against leaving a voicemail, and instead called them back.
One person who received a call was Greg Simpson, who told the Cincinnati Inquirer, "This is the leader-of-the-free-world-to-be, and you would think of all the appointments that he's doing and all the people he's filling his Cabinet with and getting ready for the inauguration, why would he take the time out to call me?" Borges is close to Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), the former presidential candidate and Trump foe who did not vote for him in the election. Borges has Kasich's backing, as well as Simpson's — he told the Inquirer he cast his ballot for Trump and enjoyed their conversation, but he's still going to vote for Borges.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What's the best time of year to buy a house?The Explainer There are pros and cons to each season
-
Africa's largest dam is making diplomatic wavesUnder the Radar Ethiopians view using the Nile as a 'sovereign right' but the vast hydroelectric project has 'fuelled nationalist fervour' in Egypt and Sudan
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is moreFeature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
