Trump Endorses Ashley Moody for Full Senate Term in Florida

Trump gives his complete endorsement to Senator Ashley Moody, the appointed Florida Republican and former state attorney general, praising her work on the economy, the border and the Second Amendment.

First Published: August 3, 2026, 3:01 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump endorsed Senator Ashley Moody, the appointed Florida Republican who serves as a former state attorney general, throwing his full weight behind her bid to keep the seat.

Moody was sworn into the United States Senate on January 21, 2025, after Governor Ron DeSantis appointed her to fill the vacancy left when Marco Rubio joined the Trump administration, according to senate.gov. Trump praised her record on taxes, energy and border security in his statement of support.

“Ashley Moody has my Complete and Total Endorsement — SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote, describing the senator as a fifth-generation Floridian who served six years as the state’s top law enforcement officer.

The endorsement signals that Trump intends to shape the Republican field in one of the nation’s largest battleground states, where an appointed incumbent must still face voters to win a full term.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Senator Ashley Moody is doing a tremendous job representing the incredible people of Florida, a State I love, and WON BIG, in 2016, 2020, and 2024! A fifth generation Floridian, Ashley served as State Attorney General for six years prior to becoming a very distinguished and well respected U.S. Senator. Ashley is working tirelessly to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Champion American Energy DOMINANCE, Help Secure our already Secure Southern Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, Strengthen our Great Military/Veterans, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment. Ashley Moody has my Complete and Total Endorsement — SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” on August 3, 2026 at 6:52 PM ET.

This is Trump’s 26th message released today, and the last post was two minutes ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 80 of his 459 posts over the last 30 days classified as Elections posts.

Moody built her public career in the courts before entering statewide office. She became the youngest judge in Florida in 2006, elected as a Circuit Court Judge in Hillsborough County at age 31, according to senate.gov. She then served as Florida’s 38th attorney general from 2019 to 2025, chaired the state’s Statewide Council on Human Trafficking and secured funds for Florida through opioid litigation, according to senate.gov.

Moody sits on the Judiciary Committee, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, according to senate.gov. Those assignments place her at the center of debates on immigration, judicial confirmations and health policy that Trump highlighted in his endorsement.

The stakes reach beyond a single seat. A Trump-backed incumbent who clears a primary without a costly fight frees party money for tighter races elsewhere, while a challenger would face the party’s most influential voice. Florida voters stand to gain a clearer choice as the endorsement narrows the contest early.

For the average reader, a Senate seat in a state of more than 22 million residents helps decide the balance of a chamber that confirms judges and shapes tax and border law. A single Florida vote can tip legislation that reaches household budgets and courtrooms nationwide.

This has happened before. Trump has issued hundreds of endorsements across House, Senate and gubernatorial races since 2016, often clearing primary fields for his preferred candidates and reshaping Republican contests in states from Ohio to Georgia. Appointed senators seeking their own mandate is also a familiar path, as several have won full terms after filling vacancies.

The next decision rests with Florida’s Republican primary voters, followed by the general electorate. A date for the state’s 2026 primary and general election in this race has not been detailed in the post, and no other candidate has been named as a challenger.

Filling a Senate vacancy by appointment and then winning a mandate is a test as old as the modern Senate itself. The Seventeenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, shifted the choice of senators from state legislatures to voters and let governors fill vacancies until elections could be held, according to senate.gov. Since then, dozens of appointees have sought to convert temporary seats into elected terms, some succeeding and others falling short before their first campaign ended. Moody now joins that long line, carrying an endorsement that few of her predecessors ever received.