With Election Day bearing down on Nevada's 2nd Congressional District, US President Donald Trump has thrown his full political weight behind David Flippo — a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel running as the Republican candidate — in a combative endorsement post on X on November 3, 2026.

From the cockpit to the campaign trail

David Flippo's biography is central to Trump's pitch. As a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Flippo brings a military career that Trump frames as the precise credential for defending the country and championing veterans' interests in Congress. The district he is contesting — covering northern and rural Nevada, including Reno and Carson City — has long been a battleground between the state's rural conservative heartland and its more urban Democratic-leaning pockets.

Trump's endorsement goes beyond a name-check. It lays out a full policy platform: cutting taxes, deregulation, border security, domestic energy production, and the signature trio of 'no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security' — pledges that were cornerstones of his own 2024 presidential campaign.

The attack on Teresa Benitez-Thompson

The post devotes as much energy to dismantling Flippo's Democratic opponent as it does to building him up. Trump describes Teresa Benitez-Thompson — a former Nevada State Assembly member — as 'Reckless, Radical, and Dangerous,' accusing her of opposing the tax relief measures and supporting open borders, transgender policies in schools, and what he calls 'Transgender Mutilization of your Children.' The language is deliberately sharp and designed to mobilise the Republican base in a competitive district.

Benitez-Thompson's background in the state legislature gives her name recognition in the region, making the contest genuinely competitive — which likely explains the ferocity of the endorsement's framing.

Trump's America First endorsement playbook in action

This endorsement fits a well-worn template Trump has deployed across multiple election cycles: identify a military-credentialed or professionally established Republican candidate, brand them 'America First,' contrast them sharply against a Democratic opponent on cultural and fiscal flashpoints, and close with a direct rally cry to voters. The formula has proven effective in energising Republican primary and general-election turnout in rural and exurban districts.

For Nevada's 2nd District, the stakes extend beyond one seat. With House control in the balance heading into November 2026, every competitive congressional race carries outsized national weight — and a Trump endorsement remains one of the most powerful signals a Republican candidate can carry into the final stretch of a campaign.

Whether Flippo can translate that presidential backing into votes on the ground will be answered when Nevada certifies its results — and the margin in the 2nd District could be one of the numbers that defines the congressional map going forward.