CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The eldest child of President Donald Trump will be in Charleston on Thursday for a fundraiser benefiting Gov. Jim Justice.
Justice is running for reelection as a Republican. The state’s four Republican congressional delegates and House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, were also invited to attend in the event.
The fundraiser comes as Justice faces pressure from within his own party; local Republican Party groups have passed no-confidence resolutions on the governor. Justice’s former commerce secretary, Woody Thrasher, is challenging Justice for the GOP nomination.
Republican leaders in the Senate have criticized Justice’s capabilities as governor; Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson — whose name was left off of the invitation — said he would not endorse Justice for another term. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, asked Justice earlier this month to resign from the seat. Blair added he would push a no-confidence resolution against Justice, and multiple Republican senators have come out in support so far.
Justice’s relationship with the Trump family goes back to before either Justice or Donald Trump Jr.’s father held public office. It has since grown, with Justice announcing his departure from the Democratic Party at a rally for the president in August 2017.
Justice said earlier this month at a campaign event his relationship with President Donald Trump is important for the state’s future.
“His attraction to West Virginia, contrary to anything you may think, is me. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. It’s just me,” the governor said.
“I hate to say it, but President Trump will hardly know who West Virginia is. And, at the end of the day, we’ll probably lose a lot of stuff to a neighboring state because the relationship’s gone.”
In the midst of the discussion on education policy, Justice tweeted last Friday the president supports his plan on education rather than policies backed by any member of the Legislature.
“The President and I are bound at the hip, and he has done remarkable work that has been tremendously beneficial for WV!” Justice added.
Trump responded on Monday to the man he calls “Big Jim Justice,” saying, “I am with you!”
The fundraiser is scheduled for 6 p.m. The exact location of the event was not provided in an invitation released earlier this month.