Trump endorses Florida congressman Matt Gaetz with tweet from London

Gregory Korte | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Anti-Trump protests erupt in England Hundreds of protesters have gathered in multiple locations across England following the arrival of US President Donald Trump. (July 12)

LONDON — Politics may stop at the water's edge, but it can still come back the other way.

President Donald Trump endorsed a Florida congressman Friday, via an early tweet from London.

"Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida is one of the finest and most talented people in Congress," Trump wrote. "Strong on Crime, the Border, Illegal Immigration, the 2nd Amendment, our great Military & Vets, Matt worked tirelessly on helping to get our Massive Tax Cuts. He has my Full Endorsement!"

Gaetz has been a long-time Trump supporter but has raised his profile with sharp criticism of the FBI investigation into the Trump campaign's links to Russian agents in the 2016 presidential election.

The freshman congressman grilled former FBI agent Peter Strzok at a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday about anti-Trump texts Strzok sent while leading an investigation into Hillary Clinton. But Gaetz said Strzok got off too easy in the hearing, calling it a "five-hour cat bath."

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Gaetz faces opposition from two other Republican candidates in an Aug. 28 primary, including from one challenger, Cris Dosev, who says he spends too much time on cable television.

As Trump's endorsement tweet came early in the morning — 7:02 a.m. in London but 2:02 a.m. on the East Coast — Gaetz didn't immediately respond to the endorsement. But he's sure to appreciate it.

As Gaetz told USA TODAY last year: "Never underestimate the power of a Donald Trump tweet."