Donald Trump Jr. Slams Republican Senate Candidate as 'Pro-BLM Liberal'

Donald Trump Jr. has denounced a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio as a "pro-BLM [Black Lives Matter] liberal."

Ohio State Senator Matt Dolan is one of three major Republican candidates vying for the GOP nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in November. The primary election is set for March 19.

Trump Jr., eldest son of presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, accused Dolan of being a "liberal" on Wednesday while sharing an article from right-wing news website Breitbart to X, formerly Twitter.

The Breitbart article rehashed a June 2020 Dolan statement urging his constituents to "rise above partisanship" after mentioning that he had attended a bipartisan hearing "on the issue of racism as a public health crisis" in the wake of BLM protests following the murder of George Floyd.

"WTF!!!" Trump Jr. wrote on Wednesday while sharing the Breitbart article. "If you agree with Democrats that racism is a "public health crisis" then you shouldn't be running in a GOP Primary for Senate. Dolan is a pro-BLM liberal!"

Newsweek reached out for comment to the Dolan campaign via email on Wednesday night.

Dolan's original statement, shared on Twitter, condemned comments from his fellow Republican Ohio state Senator Steve Huffman, who had asked during the hearing if "African Americans have a higher incidence" of COVID-19 because they "do not wash their hands as well as other groups."

Huffman later told Newsweek in a statement that he had "regrettably" asked an "awkward" question "that was perceived as hurtful and was exactly the opposite of what I meant."

"He needs to know this language is offensive," Dolan wrote at the time. "This is a time for us to listen and provide teaching moments to one another. What I hope is not lost is all the emotion, history, and opportunities for change that came out during the 12-hour Senate committee hearing on the issue of racism as a public health crisis."

"It was such a good hearing where so much was learned because people listened," he added. "Let's rise above the partisanship. Knowledge, information, empathy, communication and forgiveness will all be needed to end racism."

Trump Jr. has recently been campaigning with Dolan's rival, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, a businessman who has been endorsed by ex-President Trump. Most recent polls show Moreno with a slim edge over Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, although a significant number of voters are undecided.

The former president has a history with Dolan. During a failed run for Senate in 2022, which was eventually won by now-Senator J.D. Vance, Dolan repeatedly criticized Trump and urged the ex-president to move on from the 2020 election and unproven claims that he was the victim of mass election fraud. Trump responded by releasing a statement, arguing that Dolan was "not fit to serve in the United States Senate" shortly before the GOP primary.