The former president on Thursday endorsed Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron for governor in a statement posted to his Truth Social platform. Cameron faced blistering criticism for not filing charges against three Louisville police officers who fatally shot Breonna Taylor while executing a no-knock warrant. Trump’s endorsement comes in what’s expected to be a fiercely competitive race against Democratic incumbent Andy Beshear.
“I have known Daniel right from the beginning of his meteoric rise, and he is absolutely outstanding in every way,” Trump said in his statement. “He is Strong on the Military and our Vets, a Fierce Defender of our Borders, Protects our totally under-siege Second Amendment, and is a Crime Fighter who represents the absolute opposite of ‘Defund the Police.’”
Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who worked as an emergency medical worker, was shot by police serving a narcotics warrant in March 2020. Taylor’s partner, Kenneth Walker, opened fire on officers, believing the apartment was being robbed. Police returned fire, fatally striking Taylor.
Two officers involved were not charged with a crime. Another officer, however, was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing into nearby apartments.
The incident drew protests in Louisville and other cities at a time when the U.S. faced a reckoning over law enforcement and racial justice brought in part by the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
Cameron, the state’s first Black attorney general, came under fire for giving a grand jury “recommendations” for charges prosecutors could back up. A grand juror later accused Cameron of deception in handling the case and called on the AG to release transcripts. Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said she never had faith in Cameron’s handling of the case.
Cameron defended his handling of the case, however, saying he was following the law.
“If we simply act on emotion or outrage, there is no justice. Mob justice is not justice,” he said during a press conference in September 2020. “Breonna Taylor’s death has become a part of a national story and conversation. But we must also remember the facts and the collection of evidence in this case are different than cases elsewhere in the country.”
When asked about Cameron during a press briefing the same month, Trump responded, “I think he’s a star.”
Trump read part of a statement issued earlier by Cameron, saying, “Justice is not often easy. It does not fit the mold of public opinion and it does not conform to shifting standards.”
The former president in his endorsement of Cameron on Thursday echoed language he used to describe him earlier, saying “a young star is born before our very eyes.”
Newsweek reached out to Cameron for comment.
