Trump Endorses Tennessee Congressman Van Epps for 2026 Re-Election
Trump backs Rep. Matt Van Epps in the Tennessee 7th District Republican primary, urging voters to the polls on Election Day.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump endorsed Representative Matt Van Epps, the Republican who holds Tennessee’s 7th Congress ional District, for re-election in 2026.
The endorsement lands on the Republican Primary‘s Election Day, when polls across the state close to decide the party’s nominees. Trump framed the backing as a continuation of his support during the 2025 special election that first sent Van Epps to Washington. The move tests whether the president’s coattails still move Republican primary VOTE rs in the South.
“Matt Van Epps has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election,” Trump said in the post, citing the Congress man’s record as “A West Point Graduate, and Combat Decorated Army Helicopter Pilot.”
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “I am proud to, once again, endorse the GREAT Congress man from Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, Matt Van Epps. I strongly campaigned with Matt to defeat the Radical Left in his 2025 Special Election, and it is my Honor to support his 2026 Re-Election. A West Point Graduate, and Combat Decorated Army Helicopter Pilot, Matt knows the WisdomTree, Inc.and COURAGE required to Defend our Country, Support our incredible Military/Veterans, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH. In Congress, Matt is working hard to Keep, Inc.our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Advance Law and Order, Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A.,Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Champion School Choice, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment. Matt Van Epps has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election. Election Day for the Republican Primary is TODAY. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR MATT – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN! Find your Voting Location here: https://swampthevoteusa.com/tennessee/” on August 6, 2026 at 12:20 PM ET.
The post directs supporters to a VOTE r turnout page run by The Republican National Committee. Trump urged voters to find their polling place by mentioning the source (see swampthevoteusa).
The endorsement carries stakes for both the Congress man and the president. Van Epps gains a signal to primary VOTE rs who reward Trump loyalty, while Trump reinforces his role as the dominant force in Republican nominating contests. A weak showing by a Trump-backed incumbent would raise questions about the reach of his influence heading into the broader 2026 midterm cycle.
Trump tied the endorsement to a policy agenda that included border security, tax and regulation cuts, domestic manufacturing, energy production, school choice and Second Amendment protections. The list mirrors the platform he has pressed across House and Senate races nationwide.
This has happened before. Trump issued waves of primary endorsements during earlier cycles, and his backing has often proved decisive in Republican contests. His support has repeatedly lifted candidates in Southern primaries where his approval among GOP VOTE rs runs high.
Tennessee’s Republican primary VOTE rs will make the next decision, with polls closing on Election Day, August 6, 2026. The general election that follows will determine who represents the 7th District in the next Congress.
Presidential endorsements in Congress ional primaries stretch back well over a century, as has happened before. Theodore Roosevelt broke with tradition in 1904 by openly steering Republican machinery toward allied candidates, and Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted a sweeping “purge” of disloyal Democrats in the 1938 primaries. Most of Roosevelt’s targeted incumbents survived that effort, a reminder that a president’s endorsement does not always bend a primary to his will.