Trump targets Drummond ahead of Republican governor runoff – OU Daily
Oklahoma governor candidate Genter Drummond at the Oklahoma Press Association convention on June 6, 2026.
Oklahoma governor candidate Genter Drummond at the Oklahoma Press Association convention on June 6, 2026.
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President Donald Trump quickly inserted himself into Oklahoma’s Republican gubernatorial runoff, attacking Attorney General Gentner Drummond as a “FAKE Republican” and renewing his support for former state Sen. Mike Mazzei.
Trump first endorsed Mazzei on May 29, calling him a “MAGA Warrior” and giving him his “COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement” for governor.
In a lengthy Truth Social post early Thursday evening, Trump accused Drummond of opposing a proposed aluminum smelter project in Inola, suing to block a religious charter school and failing to back him during impeachment proceedings in January 2021 during the last days of his first term as president.
Trump also pointed to donations he said members of the Drummond family made to Joe Biden and the Lincoln Project.
“Frankly, that makes him a Radical Left Dumocrat,” Trump wrote.
Oklahoma voters advanced both Drummond and Mazzei to the August runoff despite Trump’s endorsement of Mazzei before the June 16 primary. Drummond finished first with 26.26% of the vote, narrowly ahead of Mazzei’s 25.97%, according to unofficial Oklahoma State Election Board results, but both fell short of the 50% needed to have advanced to the November election.
Speaking to supporters at his primary election watch party after advancing to the runoff, Drummond said voters were more interested in leadership than political endorsements.
“Two weeks ago, when the Trump endorsement dropped, it was disheartening, but Oklahomans understand the difference between a political pay-for-play versus a leader,” Drummond said.
Drummond said he plans to focus on attracting supporters of former candidates Chip Keating, Jake Merrick and Charles McCall during the runoff campaign, but said that does not mean changing his positions.
“I’m not going to switch. I don’t blow with the wind,” Drummond said. “I’ll be standing right where I am on these principles.”
Trump’s criticism centered on Drummond’s opposition to a proposed aluminum smelter project in Inola.
“We need aluminum for many reasons, we barely make it in the United States but, in particular, it’s all about National Security,” Trump wrote. “Mike Mazzei is for this desperately needed Job Producer. Drummond, for his own reasons, is not.”
Drummond campaign chairman Matt Parker responded to Trump’s comments, saying Drummond “isn’t interested in sending taxpayer dollars to a Muslim monarchy to build a smelter that the people of Inola do not want.”
The “Muslim monarchy” appears to reference Emirates Global Aluminum, a company tied to the United Arab Emirates government that is involved in the proposed smelter. Some Inola residents and local officials have opposed the project over concerns about pollution, traffic and effects on nearby homes, schools and farms.
Emirates Global is an aluminum conglomerate. The state-owned enterprise is jointly controlled by the Mubadala Investment Company and the Investment Corporation of Dubai, the sovereign wealth funds of the UAE.
Trump also criticized Drummond’s role as state attorney general in legal challenges involving Oklahoma’s religious charter school debate.
“He even SUED to BLOCK a religious based charter school,” Trump wrote, calling it “an outright attack on Christianity.”
Drummond’s campaign pushed back in the same post Thursday, saying Drummond remains focused on Oklahoma despite Trump’s endorsement of Mazzei.
“Oklahomans know Gentner Drummond is his own man,” Parker said. “He doesn’t answer to political consultants, Washington insiders, or special interests.”
Trump’s attacks sharpen the stakes of the runoff, placing Drummond’s record and Mazzei’s Trump endorsement at the center of the race for Oklahoma’s next governor.
The winner of the Republican runoff will face Democratic nominee Cyndi Munson in November.
Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net.
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