Trump slams ‘lack of loyalty’ after pardoned Democrat says he won’t change party

Days after issuing him a pardon, Donald Trump criticized US House member Henry Cuellar of Texas for deciding to run for re-election as a Democrat.Trump pardoned Cuellar and the congressman’s wife on Wednesday as they faced bribery charges. They were alleged to have accepted thousands of dollars from Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank in exchange for advancing their interests.Shortly after the pardon, Cuellar filed for re-election as a Democrat and said he had no intention of changing his party.Trump suggested on Sunday that Cuellar was targeted by Democrats for being critical of the party’s position on immigration – before the president went on to say that the congressman was not loyal.The statement constituted another example of how Trump expects loyalty from those who benefit from him.“I never spoke to the Congressman, his wife, or his daughters, but felt very good about fighting for a family that was tormented by very sick and deranged people – They were treated sooo BADLY!” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social site on Sunday. “Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like. Oh’ well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!”Cuellar is considered one of the more conservative members of the Democratic caucus in the US House. His south Texas district is one of several that state Republicans redrew earlier in August as part of an effort to make it more friendly to Republicans – though Cuellar is an established incumbent and has realistic chances of winning re-election during the 2026 midterm elections.The US supreme court allowed Texas’s map to go into effect on Thursday, a major boon to Republicans as they seek to retain control of the House in the midterms.