Donald Trump Says Madison Cawthorn Deserves Second Chance After Foolish Mistakes

A Tuesday primary contest will determine whether Madison Cawthorn will get a chance at a second term in the House. Former U.S. President Donald Trump chose the moment to double down on his support for the 26-year-old congressman.

Amid a growing list of scandals that threaten to imperil the congressman's nascent political career, the Republican Representative of North Carolina secured the endorsement of Trump, reported Business Insider. Trump wrote in a message on Truth Social that when Cawthorn was first elected to Congress, "he did a great job." He noted that recently, the young politician made "some foolish mistakes, which I don't believe he'll make again ... let's give Madison a second chance!"

The former President's endorsement of Cawthorn stands in stark contrast to a series of "Complete and Total" endorsement statements that he has released in recent days for others. The list includes North Carolina Republicans like Representatives Dan Bishop, Patrick McHenry, David Rouzer and Richard Hudson.

Trump didn't elaborate on Cawthorn's shortcomings, but the freshman congressman has recently seemed to spark a new controversy every week. He has been trying to bring guns onto planes, potentially engaging insider trading. He also insinuated that his colleagues participate in cocaine-fueled orgies.

A 2014 car accident had left Cawthorn paralyzed from the waist down, and Trump called it a "life changing event" and "traumatic experience" that only few people will ever experience. Trump's endorsement came just a day before Cawthorn is set to face Republican voters in the state's Tuesday primaries, and he faces a strong challenge from state Senator Chuck Edwards. He has the backing of Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who is the state's junior senator.

Edwards recently said that he believes that people in the "mountains are tired of the political rhetoric." He added that the people are tired of the "grandstanding and they're looking for someone to go to Washington, DC, fight off the establishment, roll up their sleeves, and actually go to work."

Former campaign volunteers have also turned on him. Bruce Rose, a former campaign volunteer, said that Cawthorn "fooled the hell out of everybody," and that he despises him.

Meanwhile, Susan Newman, a 53-year-old teacher who voted for Cawthorn two years ago, called Cawthorn a "hot mess." She said that she doesn’t see him doing "anything in the district — and he just keeps getting in trouble." NBC News spoke to several voters and that sentiment was echoed by them. It suggests that he is in danger of getting the boot in the hotly contested Republican primary for the 11th District seat.