President Donald Trump didn’t pitch a perfect game on Tuesday night. One endorsed candidate lost. That’s true. But if you only followed certain headlines the next morning, you’d think the entire endorsement machine had collapsed.
Not even close.
Trump was quick to point that out on Truth Social after the primary results rolled in, arguing that media coverage zeroed in on the lone defeat while barely mentioning the long list of victories.
“I was 28-1 last night on Endorsements, and numerous of them were outliers, but if you studied the Fake News, you would think it was just the opposite, 1-28,” Trump wrote.
“All they talked about was the one, and that’s why they call it the FAKE NEWS!”
Now, here’s the thing. Whether you like Trump’s endorsements or not, they continue to carry serious weight in Republican primaries. Tuesday night offered another example.
Michigan delivered one of the biggest wins.
JUST IN: 16 Trump-endorsed MAGA Candidates Have Won Their Primaries Tonight.
The Trump endorsement continues to be the most powerful weapon in politics. pic.twitter.com/AS9zNiZvRn
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 5, 2026
Former Congressman Mike Rogers captured the Republican nomination for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat, putting him on track for a November showdown with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who appeared to win his party’s primary. The winner will replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, making it one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.
Republicans also settled their gubernatorial contest.
Rep. John James, another Trump-backed candidate, secured the GOP nomination for governor, according to NPR. He now heads into the general election against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in what promises to become one of the nation’s marquee governor’s races.
Then there was Washington state.
Trump celebrated three separate victories there, beginning with the 4th Congressional District, where Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney emerged from an 11-candidate Republican field. She now advances to face Democrat John Duresky in the race to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse.
The victories didn’t stop there.
Trump also highlighted wins by Michael Baumgartner in Washington’s 5th Congressional District and John Braun in the state’s 3rd District, giving him a clean sweep among the candidates he backed in those contests.
Kansas added another checkmark to the endorsement column as Republican state Senate President Ty Masterson won his party’s gubernatorial primary, according to NPR.
⚠️ JUST IN
Trump says he was 28-1 on endorsements last night and accuses the media of only covering the one loss, calling it “FAKE NEWS.” pic.twitter.com/vyZAvrWbQU
— DC_Global_News (@DC_Global_News) August 5, 2026
Now, let’s talk about the one race everyone seemed eager to discuss.
In Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, Republican Amir Hassan lost decisively to Thomas Smith, finishing more than 17 percentage points behind despite Trump’s endorsement, according to NBC News. What made the outcome especially unusual was that Smith had suspended his campaign just weeks earlier, according to The Hill. That upset instantly became the headline many outlets focused on.
But taken as a whole, the night looked very different.
According to Ballotpedia, Trump-backed candidates have won roughly 98 percent of their primary races during this election cycle. That’s not a one-year anomaly, either. The site reports his endorsement success rate reached 96 percent in 2024, 93 percent in 2022, and 97 percent in 2020.
