Trump, Friedman on Different Pages in Ohio  

The race represents the next major test of strength for a Donald Trump endorsement, and pits Trump against David Friedman, his former ambassador to Israel, each of whom has endorsed a different candidate.

For several weeks, I’ve been receiving several emails from David Friedman (albeit not personal), inviting me to tune in for a mid-April Zoom fundraiser for Josh Mandel, whom he called an “American patriot” and “proud Zionist.” Mandel lost a previous bid for the Senate in 2012, but has since then distinguished himself as a fiscally frugal Ohio state treasurer.

Trump took many mainstream Ohio Republicans by surprise — and that’s putting it mildly — when he endorsed J.D. Vance for the seat being vacated by Senator Rob Portman, who is retiring after two terms.

While Mandel is a staunch pro-Trumper, supported by a who’s who of Ohio’s Jewish askanim, including Steve Rosedale and many members of the Schottenstein family, Vance was a vocal anti-Trumper. Trump identifies with the theme of Vance’s book, which highlights the struggles of America’s white working class in today’s woke America. Vance’s campaign manager told Newsweek that Trump now considers Vance to be a “genuine convert” to the Trump cause.