Trump Stands By Moreno Despite Link To Adult Friend Finder Account

Former President Donald Trump is still standing by Bernie Moreno, his endorsed candidate in Ohio’s nasty Senate Republican primary, after a last-minute report rocked the race.

In a statement on Thursday evening, Trump’s campaign made clear he is not reconsidering his support for Moreno and lambasted the media over the Associated Press story linking Moreno to a 2008 account "looking for young guys to have fun" made on Adult Friend Finder, a website typically used to arrange sexual encounters. At the moment, Trump’s planned rally in Ohio to support Moreno on Saturday is still on.

“The leftwing media is obsessed with destroying anyone who supports the America First movement and this ridiculous slime job is simply more proof that Bernie Moreno is a threat to the entire swamp,” said Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesperson.

POLITICO has not independently verified AP's reporting.

Moreno told the AP a former intern created the account as a prank, an explanation that is not landing well in some GOP circles, according to a Republican strategist unaffiliated with the race. Moreno’s campaign has been reassuring Republicans for weeks that the email address associated with the Adult Friend Finder account was never used to confirm it, the strategist said.

Trump’s endorsement in the Ohio Senate race carries huge implications for the Senate race. But with the ugly primary devolving by the hour, the Tuesday contest is now a major test for how much clout Trump and allied Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), who is also backing Moreno, wield in the state.

Together, the two have gotten a number of prominent conservatives behind Moreno, from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

"My philosophy is to endorse the strongest conservative who can win, I think that’s clearly Bernie Moreno. He has a compelling life story, he’s an effective communicator. And I think he’d be a very strong candidate in the general election," Cruz said in an interview earlier this week before the AP story was published.

Moreno faces Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan, who has the backing of the party’s establishment, including Gov. Mike DeWine and former Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). Both Moreno and Dolan are wealthy and directly contributing to their campaigns' finances.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is neutral in the race.

The winner of the primary will face three-term Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in the general election. Polls show a close race among the three Republicans, with Dolan making a late surge.

Democrats launched a late multi-million dollar ad buy to boost Moreno in the final days of the primary, a last-minute effort to elevate what they see as the weakest candidate headed into the general election. If they succeed, it could be an early blemish on GOP efforts to turn the page on Trump's ability to dictate the party's Senate candidates — widely seen as a huge problem in the 2022 midterm debacle.

Alex Isenstadt contributed to this report.