Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, who served as President Trump’s deputy chief of staff during his first term, has accused political allies of influencing Donald Trump’s endorsement of Rep. Julia Letlow for a Louisiana Senate Republican primary runoff.
Fleming, competing with Sen. Bill Cassidy in the June 27 runoff, stated that Trump’s decision to back Letlow stemmed from strong recommendations by Gov. Jeff Landry and his associates—not Letlow’s conservative record. “Miss Letlow was endorsed by President Trump,” Fleming said on recent interviews. “However, that was because of strong recommendations from Jeff Landry, our governor, who himself is not conservative.”
Fleming noted he later spoke directly with Trump but argued Letlow’s House voting record is “arguably to the left” of Bill Cassidy. “I warned people back in 2014,” Fleming added, when Sen. Cassidy was running for Senate, “that he was going to disappoint them. And now I’m reminding people of that today about Julia Letlow.”
Fleming criticized Letlow for supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and for voting against a 2023 amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that would have barred FAA funding for DEI programs. “She voted against an amendment on the FAA reauthorization in 2023 that would have taken DEI out of the FAA,” Fleming said. “I don’t want my airline pilot to be promoted or assigned based purely on their gender or color.”
Fleming, who helped found the House Freedom Caucus before serving as Trump’s deputy chief of staff, contrasted his conservative credentials with Letlow’s record, noting that Trump targeted Cassidy’s seat over his 2021 vote to convict Trump during the Senate impeachment trial.
