Sen. John Cornyn has introduced legislation to rename a federal highway in honor of President Donald Trump, a move that could be an effort to gain Trump’s coveted endorsement ahead of Texas’ May 26 Republican primary runoff.
Cornyn’s bill would rename U.S. Highway 287, which stretches from Texas to Montana, as the future “Interstate 47” in honor of Trump’s position as the nation’s 47th president.
“Texas is Trump Country, and this bill cements that legacy by designating nearly 1,800 miles of open-road from Texas’ Gulf Coast to the edge of the U.S.-Canadian border as I-47 to forever be remembered as Trump Interstate,” Cornyn said in a statement. “By upgrading one of our nation’s longest highways to a future interstate, this legislation will increase economic growth and improve safety, all while honoring the most consequential president of our lifetime.”
Cornyn faces a competitive runoff election on May 26 against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The incumbent senator has sought to curry favor with Trump for an endorsement that could tip the race.
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Yet, the president has held off on formally backing Cornyn or Paxton despite reports he would endorse Cornyn. Trump’s seal of approval has carried several candidates to victory. Most recently, Trump-backed candidates mostly swept Indiana state Senate races against incumbents who voted against a redistricting map that would have added two red-leaning seats to the state.
The pattern now spells trouble for incumbents like Cornyn who have yet to receive an endorsement. Trump has also weighed in to support candidates against sitting members of Congress, including Sen. Bill Cassidy and Rep. Thomas Massie, who have lost favor in Trumpworld.
Trump told reporters last week that he would officially endorse in the Texas runoff, “maybe relatively soon.”
There’s now a running list of places with the Trump name emblazoned on them: the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace and the President Donald J. Trump International Airport in Palm Beach, Florida.
The president has also added his photo to national park passes and a limited number of U.S. passports, and plans are in the works for a 250th anniversary edition of the $1 coin with Trump’s likeness and “Trump-class” battleships.
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