Utah Gov. Spencer Cox flip-flops on support for Donald Trump

After eight years of hand-wringing about the behavior of former President Donald Trump and vowing not to cast a ballot for him, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox endorsed the Republican presidential nominee Friday morning.

The abrupt U-turn comes a week after Cox said he would not vote for either Trump or Democrat Joe Biden in the 2024 election.

Cox has previously said he did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020. That, the governor said, will change this year, confirming he will cast a ballot for Trump in November.

The governor’s about-face comes amid reports that Trump was committed to turning down the temperature of the current political moment after he was wounded during an assassination attempt at a campaign event.

“I’ve heard from people around him that he is committed to this,” Cox said at his monthly televised news conference. “This is something that hasn’t been high on his list in the past. I think that’s probably an understatement. I’ll work closely with him to help do that.”

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox at his monthly news conference in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Trent Nelson/)

What happens if Trump goes back to his usual campaign trail behavior of name-calling and attacking his political opponents? Cox said that would not be a deal breaker for him.

“Change is hard for all of us, and it’s probably harder the older we get. What we have seen and heard is that he is very interested in this,” Cox said. “I’m not naive to think that it will be a total change or anything like that. I’ve made my commitment that I will do this, and as a man of my word, I’ll follow through.”

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Brian King suggested Cox’s flip-flop on Trump was more opportunistic than driven by personal conviction.

“After publicly declaring just days ago that he would not vote for Donald Trump this November, Governor Cox has now kissed the ring and given his full endorsement to Trump, a convicted felon. This is the same Trump who, just last night, called for mass deportations and lied about the 2020 election results,” King said in a statement. “This is another example of Governor Cox not sticking to principles but going where the wind blows him.”

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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox flip-flops on support for Donald Trump

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox flip-flops on support for Donald Trump

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox flip-flops on support for Donald Trump

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox flip-flops on support for Donald Trump

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox flip-flops on support for Donald Trump