While President Donald Trump has yet to formally endorse the Republican candidate for governor in Virginia, current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, he did signal support for her in a short video captured on Air Force One by News Nation.
When asked directly, Trump did not mention Earle-Sears by name, but said he supports "the Republican candidate."
"Well, I think the Republican candidate is very good and I think she should win because the Democrat candidate's a disaster," Trump said.
Watch related: CNU poll shows Spanberger with healthy lead over Earle-Sears
Trump goes on to say he did very well in Virginia, and while he did out-perform his 2020 share of votes from 44% to 46%, he still lost the state to former Vice President Kamala Harris, who earned 51.8% of the vote.
"I watched [Abigail Spanberger] in the debate, and she couldn't answer the most basic question," Trump said, referring to Spanberger's refusal to answer questions about whether she will continue to endorse Democratic Attorney General candidate Jay Jones. Jones has been under fire for controversial texts he sent to a colleague in the General Assembly several years ago where he appears to advocate for the murder of the former Virginia House Speaker and his family.
Trump never mentioned either candidate by name in his comments Monday, but continued on to say that Spanberger and the Democrat running for governor in New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill, will drive up energy costs, "through the roof."
Trump further asserts without specifics that the Democratic candidates in both races will raise energy prices by double or triple, and the Republicans will reduce energy costs by 70-80%.
Watch related: Earle-Sears says she's not surprised by Obama endorsing Spanberger
Last week, Spanberger's campaign released a video with former President Barack Obama endorsing her. When asked about how Trump had not endorsed her, Earle-Sears responded by saying she was not surprised that Obama endorsed Spanberger because "he's a Democrat."
The latest polling in Virginia from Christopher Newport University, which sampled Virginians prior to the Oct. 8 debate, shows Spanberger with a 10-point lead over Earle-Sears.
