Washington, D.C., : President Donald Trump unleashed a fiery Truth Social tirade against Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar just days after granting him a high-profile pardon on federal bribery charges. In a lengthy post, Trump accused the longtime congressman of a “lack of LOYALTY” for announcing his 2026 reelection bid as a Democrat, urging him to switch parties and warning, “next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!”
The unexpected feud erupted after Cuellar, 69, filed paperwork on December 3—the same day Trump announced the pardon for him and his wife, Imelda—to seek another term in his battleground South Texas district. Cuellar, a conservative-leaning Democrat representing Laredo since 2005, had faced 12 felony counts including bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy, stemming from an alleged $600,000 scheme involving Azerbaijan and Mexican banks from 2014 to 2021. Trump framed the pardon as a rebuke to the “weaponized” Biden-era Justice Department, citing Cuellar’s vocal criticism of lax border policies—a rare stance among House Democrats that aligned him with GOP priorities.
“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, referencing a November letter from Cuellar’s daughters, Christina and Catherine, pleading for clemency. “Only a short time after signing the Pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced that he will be ‘running’ for Congress again… as a Democrat, continuing to work with the same Radical Left Scum that just weeks before wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in Prison – And probably still do! Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like.”
Cuellar swiftly pushed back, telling Politico on December 5 that no White House deal was struck for the pardon and reaffirming his Democratic roots. “Nothing has changed,” he said after filing, emphasizing his commitment to South Texas values amid speculation of a party switch. The district, which Trump carried in 2024, remains competitive; Cuellar fended off a primary challenge from progressive Jessica Cisneros in 2022 but now faces Republican Adam Tijerina, who slammed the incumbent as beholden to “DC bosses.”
