President Donald Trump threw his weight behind Rep. Andy Barr on Friday, endorsing the Kentucky Republican in the Senate primary to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell. The endorsement came after Trump urged Elon Musk‑backed candidate Nate Morris to exit the race and offered him a U.S. ambassador post. Morris’s withdrawal leaves Barr and former attorney general Daniel Cameron as the only contenders. It reshapes contest.

Morris, a waste‑management entrepreneur with deep ties to the Trump circle, entered the race last year on a Donald Trump Jr. podcast and benefited from a $10 million contribution from Musk’s political arm. His Super PAC poured nearly $15 million into paid media but entered April with just $120,000 cash, prompting the president’s “great meeting” and the subsequent pull‑out and voter outreach.

With Barr now the clear front‑runner, Republican strategist Scott Jennings predicts a comfortable primary win, noting Cameron’s odds have dimmed sharply. The endorsement tightens Trump’s influence over Kentucky’s GOP and removes a high‑profile Musk‑aligned venture from the ballot, a development that could reshape donor flows ahead of the May 19 primary for the party.