Trump boasts about newspaper endorsement that calls him an ‘embarrassment’

President first Republican to get endorsement from paper since 1972

Donald Trump boasted about a battleground newspaper endorsement that branded him an “embarrassment” who had “diminished the presidency.”

The president became the first Republican endorsed for the White House by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette since 1972 in a lukewarm recommendation.

But that was good enough for Mr Trump who bragged about it at campaign rallies over the weekend.

“Nobody can believe it. They haven’t done it in decades. Thank you very much, Pittsburgh Gazette. We’ll take it," said the president in Hickory, North Carolina.

But the president might not like the paper’s overall view of how he has behaved during his first term.

“We share the embarrassment of millions of Americans who are disturbed by the president’s unpresidential manners and character — his rudeness and put-downs and bragging and bending of the truth,” stated the paper’s editorial board.

“None of this can be justified. The president’s behaviour often has diminished his presidency, and the presidency. Most Americans want a president who makes them proud.”

But the newspaper said it was backing the president based on what he had done for people in the city, his energy policy in the state and his Supreme Court picks.

“Has Mr. Trump done enough for these struggling fellow citizens? No. But he recognised them. Maybe he was not articulate, but he recognised their pain,” they continued.

“He is not a unifier. He often acts like the president of his base, not the whole country.

“He has done nothing to lessen our divisions and has, in fact, often deepened them.

“The convictions and intellect of all Americans should be respected by ALL Americans, especially the president.”

But the paper’s board told readers it preferred Mr Trump to a “frail” Joe Biden, and Mike Pence more than Kamala Harris.

“This newspaper has not supported a Republican for president since 1972,” they concluded.

“But we believe Mr. Trump, for all his faults, is the better choice this year.

“We respect and understand those who feel otherwise.

“We wish that we could be more enthusiastic and we hope the president can become more dignified and statesmanlike. "