Trump glowingly backs Corey Lewandowski's possible Senate run because 'he's terrific on television'

President Trump on Thursday spoke glowingly about the idea of a Senate run by his former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, and sounded quite like a TV critic in the process.

Trump in a New Hampshire radio interview said that Lewandowski would be "fantastic" in the Senate, with these comments coming amid reports of Republican opposition to his potential bid. Were Lewandowski to run in 2020, he would be going up against Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

"He's got great energy," Trump said of Lewandowski, who served as his campaign manager until June 2016. "He's terrific on television, you've seen. He's a really good guy. I like him a lot. I like him. I like his family. I like everything about him."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

Trump stopped short of offering an official endorsement for Lewandowski, who during the 2016 campaign was charged with simple battery after a Breitbart reporter accused him of forcefully grabbing her; the charges were later dropped. Trump on Thursday said he's unsure if Lewandowski has made the decision to run, but he argued that he'd be a "great senator" and "tough to beat."

Lewandowski's potential Senate campaign, though, is drawing some serious concern from Republicans in New Hampshire, who strongly disagree with Trump's assessment that he'd give Shaheen a tough fight. "It makes me extremely nervous," a Republican adviser told The Daily Beast recently, with former New Hampshire Attorney General Tom Rath also saying of Lewandowski, "I think his strongest supporter is the person who he looks at in the mirror."

Ahead of a Trump rally in New Hampshire, Politico reports that Republicans in the state fear the president will tout Lewandowski's possible Senate run, with "the state GOP establishment in near open revolt" and Gov. Chris Sununu (R) having "relayed concerns" about Lewandowski to the party's leadership. But based on Trump's comments, it sounds like for Lewandowski, an official endorsement could be just one Fox News appearance away.