Brooks responds after Trump yanks endorsement: 'I break my sworn oath for no man'

Alabama Senate candidate and GOP Rep. Mo Brooks has issued a response after former President Donald Trump on Wednesday withdrew his endorsement of the lawmaker and former political ally.
"It's disappointing that, just like in 2017, President Trump lets [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell manipulate him again. Every single negative TV ad against our campaign has come from McConnell and his allies," Brooks wrote. "I wish President Trump wouldn't fall for McConnell's ploys, but once again, he has."
On Sunday, Brooks put out a new campaign ad attacking McConnell, also a frequent Trump target, and vowed to oust the Kentucky Republican from his position should Brooks secure a seat in the Senate, reports Talking Points Memo.
Subscribe to 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.
Brooks continued by maintaining that he has not changed, and is the "only proven America First candidate" in the Alabama race, despite having "repeatedly advised" Trump there was no way to overturn the 2020 election. He said he did so "knowing full well" that it might cause the former president to yank back his endorsement.
"But I took a sworn oath to defend and protect the U.S. Constitution. I honor my oath," he said. "I break my sworn oath for no man."
Brooks was the first Republican lawmaker to vote against certifying the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2021.
He went on to claim that he is still the "most conservative candidate in the race," and he's "confident that the people of Alabama will see that on Election Day."
In August, Brooks was backed by roughly 40 percent of GOP primary voters; according to a poll released Tuesday, however, that support has plunged to just 16.1 percent, per CNBC. His weakening performance is also likely one of the reasons, if not the real reason, Trump backed out.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
By The Week US
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportation
Cartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
El Salvador's CECOT prison becomes Washington's go-to destination
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Republicans and Democrats alike are clamoring for access to the Trump administration's extrajudicial deportation camp — for very different reasons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court takes up Trump birthright appeal
Speed Read The New Jersey Attorney General said a constitutional right like birthright citizenship 'cannot be turned on or off at the whims of a single man'
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Court slams Trump, senator visits Ábrego García
Speed Read The case 'should be shocking not only to judges' but all Americans with an 'intuitive sense of liberty'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The anger fueling the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barnstorming tour
Talking Points The duo is drawing big anti-Trump crowds in red states
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Why the GOP is nervous about Ken Paxton's Senate run
Today's Big Question A MAGA-establishment battle with John Cornyn will be costly
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
UK-US trade deal: can Keir Starmer trust Donald Trump?
Today's Big Question White House insiders say an agreement is 'two weeks' away but can Britain believe it?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
A running list of Trump's second-term national security controversies
In Depth Several scandals surrounding national security have rocked the Trump administration
By Justin Klawans, The Week US