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After trying to play cool with Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, Oklahoma GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt is facing heat from Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.
In a visit to Tulsa on Saturday, Ron DeSantis received an endorsement for his presidential campaign from Gov. Stitt, marking the first such endorsement from a fellow governor, according to Politico.
That didn’t sit too well with Trump, who endorsed Stitt’s 2022 gubernatorial race. In a message posted to his Truth Social account Monday morning, Trump took credit for Stitt’s gubernatorial victory and accused the governor of saying he disliked “the Indians.”
“Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, who I didn’t know very well, called me before his last election to say he was in BIG trouble and very much needed my Endorsement,” Trump posted, bragging about becoming the first presidential candidate in recent history to win all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties.
“Anyway, I gave him my endorsement, he immediately went way up, and won. Now, despite the fact that DeSanctimonious is losing to Biden, & me, Stitt just endorsed him. Wow! He disliked “the Indians” & my great Senate pick!”
Trump spills the tea on Stitt after DeSantis endorsement
To people living in Oklahoma, it’s no secret that Gov. Stitt, who himself claims Cherokee heritage, has waged a never-ending political battle against the state’s federally recognized Indigenous tribal nations.
Throughout Stitt’s first term he attempted to force Tribes to rewrite state contracts in order to extract more revenue while miniminzing their tribal sovereignty. Since the 2020 Supreme Court ruling McGirt v. Oklahoma reasserted that many tribal reservations remain intact,
Stitt has waged a campaign of fear and hate against the tribes. Most recently, he vetoed measures that would allow students to wear tribal regalia during their high school graduation, causing the state legislature to overturn the vetoes.
Meanwhile, Trump endorsed Stitt’s 2022 gubernatorial race, in which he beat Democrat Joy Hoffmeister with 55% of the vote.
During a Saturday political event in Tulsa, Stitt gave his full-throated support to Trump’s primary opponent, Ron DeSantis.
“I am officially, 100 percent, endorsing Ron DeSantis for president, and we’re going to win it in Oklahoma,” Stitt said Saturday.
Most politicians have been reluctant to even appear to be turning on Trump, who still holds considerable sway over Republicans nationwide.
“They all want and need your endorsement to get elected. But after they get elected they can’t wait to turn around and stab you in the Back. When it comes to Politicians, loyalty is hard to come by,” a Trump supporter commented under Trump’s post.
Trump currently leads against DeSantis and other Republican primary opponents by a wide margin. According to the latest CBS News and YouGov poll, 61% of likely GOP voters would choose Trump, compared to 23% who would choose DeSantis.
Gov. Kevin Stitt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.