In his remarks to supporters on Tuesday evening, Don Blankenship attributed his loss to the president’s last-minute intervention in the contest, saying that it had halted his momentum. | Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Trump calls Blankenship after pushing for his loss in West Virginia

President Donald Trump connected by phone on Wednesday with Don Blankenship, the former coal baron and ex-con whose Senate candidacy he helped sink.

Trump and Blankenship spoke briefly, according to three people familiar with the discussion. The conversation was described as straightforward, polite and cordial, with the president calling to exchange pleasantries and offer his congratulations on waging the campaign.


The call came two days after Trump took to Twitter to urge West Virginia Republicans to reject Blankenship’s candidacy. In the tweet, Trump argued that Blankenship, who spent a year in jail following a 2010 explosion at his Upper Big Branch Mine that killed 29 workers, would be unable to defeat Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in November.

Trump’s intervention undermined Blankenship, who had aligned himself closely with the president — so much so that he described himself as “Trumpier than Trump.”

Blankenship would go on to lose the primary decisively, finishing a distant third behind state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Rep. Evan Jenkins.

In his remarks to supporters on Tuesday evening, Blankenship attributed his loss to the president’s last-minute intervention in the contest, saying that it had halted his momentum.

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“I think if there was any single factor based on the polling at different times, the debates, and all the things I saw, it was probably President Trump’s lack of endorsement — I don’t know what to call it, but ‘Don’t vote for Don’ tweet,” he said. “I don’t know what else it would have been.”

In the final hours of the race, he said he was convinced that Trump had been pushed into the intervention by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had aggressively opposed Blankenship.

Blankenship on Wednesday released an “open letter” to Trump in which he accused the president of spreading “fake news against me.”

“Your interference in the West Virginia election displayed a lack of understanding of the likely outcome of the upcoming general election,” Blankenship added. “Patrick Morrisey will likely lose the general election. It’s too late to change that, but it’s not helpful to do to me what others are doing to you.”

The president also connected briefly with Jenkins, but as of Wednesday evening had yet to connect with Morrisey, the winner of the primary. On Tuesday, though, Morrisey spoke with Donald Trump Jr. During the call, the president’s eldest son promised to be helpful.

Trump’s calls on Wednesday, several Republicans said, were partly aimed at healing the wounds following a deeply divisive primary. Blankenship has yet to endorse Morrisey, who aggressively attacked him during the final days of the race.

Some in the party are concerned that the deep-pocketed Blankenship, who spent more than $2.5 million of his own funds in the primary, could wage an effort to damage Morrisey in the general election.