President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack Friday against Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, calling him “a disloyal disaster” just days before the Republican faces voters in Saturday’s Louisiana primary election.
Trump’s public broadside against the two-term senator comes as Cassidy seeks reelection in a state Trump won handily in both 2020 and 2024. The former and current president has nursed a grudge against Cassidy since February 2021, when the Louisiana Republican cast one of seven GOP votes to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial following the January 6 Capitol riot.
In a statement released through his campaign, Trump predicted Cassidy would get “CLOBBERED” in the primary, suggesting Louisiana voters will punish the senator for breaking ranks with the Republican Party’s standard-bearer at a critical moment. The president stopped short of formally endorsing any of Cassidy’s challengers but made clear he wants a different Republican representing the Bayou State.
Cassidy has defended his impeachment vote as a matter of constitutional duty, arguing he followed the evidence presented during the trial. That explanation has done little to mollify Trump supporters in Louisiana, where the president remains enormously popular with the Republican base. Trump carried Louisiana by nearly 19 points in 2024, demonstrating his continued strength in the Deep South.
The timing of Trump’s attack appears calculated to maximum effect. Louisiana holds its jungle primary Saturday, where all candidates regardless of party compete on a single ballot. If no candidate clears 50 percent, the top two finishers advance to a runoff election. Trump’s intervention could depress Cassidy’s vote share enough to force him into a November runoff against a Trump-aligned challenger.
Cassidy’s reelection fight represents a test case for whether Republican senators can survive defying Trump on high-profile votes. Of the seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump in 2021, several have already retired rather than face voters. Cassidy chose to run again, betting that his constituent service and conservative voting record on most issues would outweigh his impeachment vote.
Louisiana Republicans will deliver their verdict Saturday. With Trump now actively working against him, Cassidy faces the toughest political battle of his career in a state where loyalty to the president has become the paramount test of Republican credentials.
Key Points
- Trump publicly attacked Senator Bill Cassidy three days before Louisiana’s primary election, calling him disloyal and predicting he’ll lose badly
- Cassidy was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial over January 6
- The Louisiana primary Saturday will test whether Republicans who broke with Trump on impeachment can survive in states where he remains popular with GOP voters
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4571519/trump-cassidy-disloyal-disaster-clobbered-primary-election/ – May 16, 2026
