Washington Post: Trump touts Navy, avoids GOP nominee for governor in Virginia visit
 

VIRGINIA – As Winsome Earle-Sears begs for Donald Trump’s endorsement and backs his healthcare and job cuts that are devastating the Commonwealth, Trump avoided, snubbed, and ignored Sears at an event in Norfolk over the weekend according to reports. 
 
What Virginians are reading: 
 
Washington Post: Trump touts Navy, avoids GOP nominee for governor in Virginia visit

• In his second address to members of the military in Virginia in a week, President Donald Trump embraced the power and pageantry of the U.S. Navy but steered clear of the state’s race for governor — a notable omission for a president who rarely passes up a political opportunity.
• The Sunday event in Norfolk, at the nation’s largest naval base, could have been a chance for Trump to inject fresh energy into Earl[e]-Sears’s campaign. The candidate attended, sitting in the front in the VIP section. But Trump did not mention her name.
• Earle-Sears was enthusiastic to attend the event and eager to be seen supporting Trump, a person close to her campaign told The Washington Post on Friday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
• Earle-Sears has run a much different campaign, fully embracing Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce [...]. 
• While Trump said in August that he “would” endorse Earle-Sears, he has seemed leery of getting too cozy with a struggling campaign.

CNN: Trump snubs Virginia’s GOP nominee for governor even as she’s attacked as too ‘MAGA’

• Speaking in Virginia at an event for the US Navy’s 250th anniversary Sunday, President Donald Trump did not mention the state’s lieutenant governor, who is the Republican nominee for governor.
• It was a noteworthy snub of Winsome Earle-Sears, a retired Marine, during a speech in which Trump praised some Virginia Republicans who have served in the Navy, including Reps. John McGuire, Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans.
• Even as Trump has not embraced Earle-Sears, she has been characterized as a “MAGA Republican” [...].
• He [Trump] met with Earle-Sears in the Oval Office earlier this year, but no endorsement came out of that meeting – and Earle-Sears has refused to talk about what they discussed.

WJLA: Trump endorses Miyares, ignores Earle-Sears during Virginia visit

• President Donald Trump visited Virginia twice in the past week, with his latest stop on Sunday at Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base, to commemorate the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary and tout his plans to expand America’s military might. But he notably avoided mentioning Virginia’s Republican nominee for governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, a retired Marine. 
• Instead, Trump praised several Virginia Republicans, including Rep. Jen Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot; Rep. John McGuire, a former Navy SEAL; and Rep. Rob Wittman, co-chair of the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus.
• Trump also mentioned Earle-Sears’ Democratic opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, by name, though he stopped short of offering Earle-Sears his backing.

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