President Trump expressed outrage over what he called a “lack of LOYALTY” from Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), criticizing the congressman for choosing to run for reelection as a Democrat shortly after receiving a presidential pardon, as per The Hill. Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, were indicted last year on bribery charges, but after receiving the pardon last week, the Texas Democrat immediately filed to run for Congress again in 2026.
The president didn’t hold back on Truth Social, “Only a short time after signing the Pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced that he will be ‘running’ for Congress again, in the Great State of Texas (a State where I received the highest number of votes ever recorded!), as a Democrat, continuing to work with the same Radical Left Scum that just weeks before wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in Prison and probably still do!”
“Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like.” Trump ended the post with a direct warning, stating, “Oh’ well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!” Cuellar, meanwhile, is standing firm in his decision. He defended his choice to run as a Democrat in 2026 while speaking to Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Cueller says he follows the famous words of President Lyndon B. Johnson
“I follow the words of President [Lyndon B. Johnson], who said many years ago, ‘I’m an American, I’m a Texan, and I’m a Democrat, in that order,’” Cuellar explained. He believes that anyone who puts their political party before their country is doing a major disservice. The congressman noted that he identifies as a “conservative Democrat” and intends to work with President Trump where possible. He emphasized that if he “can work and find common ground, then I certainly want to do that.”
Trump’s decision to issue the pardon was clearly based on his belief that Cuellar was unfairly targeted due to his political stance on immigration. The president reiterated his view that the former President Biden administration and “The Dems mercilessly went after Henry with everything they had!” Trump suggested that the Democrats were looking to destroy Cuellar, his wife, and his “two young daughters,” and that a letter specifically from Cuellar’s daughters prompted him to issue the pardon.
What’s really interesting is how much Trump’s tone has changed. Just last week, when asked by The Hill during a Wednesday Oval Office event whether pardoning the Democrat would help Cuellar get reelected, Trump shrugged off the concern. “It didn’t matter,” Trump told The Hill at the time.
He argued that Cuellar was “a respected person” who was treated terribly because he dared to speak out against open borders and the influx of people pouring into the country. Trump claimed that as soon as Cuellar made that critical statement, he predicted the indictment would follow, saying, “He got indicted for speaking the truth.”
That level of support has clearly evaporated now that Cuellar has decided to stick with the Democratic party. It seems that while President Trump was willing to forgive the alleged bribery charges, he definitely wasn’t willing to forgive the lack of political loyalty, which has been a theme in Trump’s second term in office.
Published: Dec 8, 2025 02:00 pm