Trump calls Democrat he pardoned a 'loser' for not switching parties

Reported by Fox News. The paragraphs below are the opening of that article, reproduced word for word — not a summary, and not the whole piece.

President Donald Trump lamented that after he pardoned Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, the congressman did not become a Republican.

President Donald Trump lambasted incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar , D-Texas, calling the congressman "a loser" on Wednesday, while criticizing the lawmaker for remaining a Democrat after receiving a presidential pardon.

Trump pardoned Cuellar and his wife last year as the couple faced charges pertaining to bribery and money laundering.

"In any event, I did the pardons, and made no deal, where a crooked politician would have, but I thought there would be a good chance that Cuellar, who was persecuted by Democrats because they didn’t like him, would have routinely gone over to the Republican Party — the people that saved him from years in prison," Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post .

HOUSE DEM BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS BROTHER FACES UP TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON IF CONVICTED

Left: U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he leaves the stage after speaking during a campaign rally at the Freeman Coliseum on Oct. 7, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas; Right: U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, poses for a photo at the Starr County Courthouse Annex Building on Oct. 2, 2026 in Rio Grande City, Texas. (Left: Win McNamee/Getty Images; Right: Gabriel V. Cárdenas/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)