President Donald Trump took a fresh shot at Mo Brooks from the White House on Monday, telling the room he once backed “someone else” for Alabama’s Senate seat before realizing “that someone else wasn’t very good.”
Trump made the comments while praising U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) at a maternal health event, recalling his decision to pull his endorsement of then-Rep. Brooks during the 2022 Senate primary and back Britt instead.
TRUMP: Katie Britt — I hope she always remains loyal to me so I can continue to support her
BRITT: You’ve got it
TRUMP: I would hate to go against her. That will never happen, Katie, right?
BRITT: That’s right, sir pic.twitter.com/hK9vuwCtIM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 11, 2026
“She’s a fantastic woman. She’s a great senator. I got lucky. I was supporting somebody else and then I realized that that somebody else wasn’t very good,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Who’s that young woman I met?’ I was so impressed. They said, ‘Her name is Katie Britt.’ I said, ‘Let me talk to her.’ I talked to her, I endorsed her. She won in a landslide.”
RELATED: WATCH: Years before challenging him, Mo Brooks says James Lomax makes him ‘hopeful’ for the future
The comments landed eight days before the May 19 Republican primary in Alabama House District 20, where Brooks is attempting a political comeback against incumbent State Rep. James Lomax (R-Huntsville). Lomax’s campaign seized on Trump’s remarks within hours.
“President Trump’s comments today are a powerful reminder for every Trump voter in House District 20,” Lomax said. “Mo Brooks had his chance, and even President Trump saw he wasn’t up to the job. I’m a proven conservative who has delivered results for our district, fighting for lower taxes, parental rights, public safety, and strong conservative values, all without the baggage or the broken promises.”
Brooks, 71, qualified on the last day of filing in January after previously saying he would not seek office in 2026. Trump originally endorsed Brooks for the 2022 Senate race but withdrew his backing after Brooks told a rally crowd in Cullman to “move past” the 2020 election. Britt went on to crush Brooks in the runoff by 26 points.
Lomax has since consolidated establishment support, earning endorsements from Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Americans for Prosperity, and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, who appointed Lomax as House Majority Whip earlier this year. Ledbetter has publicly said Brooks “failed at every office he’s been in.”
Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
