Trump Calls N.Y. Candidate Pilip a ‘Foolish Woman’ after Loss

Former President Donald Trump late Tuesday lashed out at Mazi Melesa Pilip, the GOP candidate in New York’s 3rd Congressional District special election, calling her a “very foolish woman” for keeping her distance from him while running a losing race to finish ousted former Rep. George Santos’ term in office.

“Republicans just don’t learn, but maybe she was still a Democrat?” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page after Pilip lost to former Rep. Tom Suozzi, flipping the seat to a Democrat and narrowing the House GOP majority by another seat.

“I have an almost 99% Endorsement Success Rate in Primaries, and a very good number in the General Elections, as well, but just watched this very foolish woman, Mazi Melesa Pilip, running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America,” Trump added.

Pilip, despite holding office as a Republican in Nassau County, has been registered as a Democrat since 2012, according to state and city records, reports The Hill.

Trump also blamed the election loss on his supporters staying home, saying they didn’t vote because they were not treated with respect.

“MAGA, WHICH IS MOST OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, STAYED HOME – AND IT ALWAYS WILL, UNLESS IT IS TREATED WITH THE RESPECT THAT IT DESERVES,” he said. “I STAYED OUT OF THE RACE, ‘I WANT TO BE LOVED!’ GIVE US A REAL CANDIDATE IN THE DISTRICT FOR NOVEMBER. SUOZZI, I KNOW HIM WELL, CAN BE EASILY BEATEN!”

Pilip had sought to tie Suozzi to President Joe Biden, particularly on the immigration crisis, but Suozzi ran as a moderate and made an effort to distance himself from Biden and the Democrat Party itself, reports The New York Times.

He has called for more harsh policies at the border and vowed to work with Republicans to fix the immigration system, which cut into Pilip’s campaign claims.

Suozzi had served for three terms in the House before stepping out in 2022 for a failed gubernatorial race, where he placed third in the state’s primary.