Rep. Brandon Williams has Donald Trump's endorsement although the two have never spoken

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — NY-22's incumbent, Republican Congressman Brandon Williams, has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. In turn, Rep. Williams has supported Trump despite a myriad of controversies.

However, Rep. Williams said the two have never met.

While visiting the NYS Fair this week, Rep. Williams sat down with CNY Central to discuss the race. When asked about Trump's impact in the hotly contested NY-22 congressional district, Rep. Williams revealed that he has never had a conversation with the former president.

"I've never met Donald Trump still to this day, I've never spoken with Donald Trump still to this day," Rep. Williams said, "I want him to be in the White House. We need a Republican leading the country."

Rep. Williams said that Trump has been a "disruptor," one that he admires and continues to support despite Trump becoming the first former president in history to be convicted of felonies, found guilty on 34 counts concerning him paying a porn star to keep quiet in an effort to better his chances in the 2016 election.

In addition to his legal troubles, Democrats are making deliberate attempts to link Trump with Project 2025. It's a policy playbook produced by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation with the help of over 100 of Trump's former administration officials, according to reporting by CNN. The 900-page document would drastically reshape everyday life, calling for reducing or completely eliminating critical public safety nets, privatizing the National Weather Service, and outlawing pornography. Trump has publicly disavowed the project, and Rep. Williams pushed back firmly on the assertion that his party is influenced by a document crafted by some of Trump's closest allies.

"I've never had a presentation on it, I've never read it. This is really purely a construct of the DCCC and trying to advance a narrative," Rep. Williams said.

CNY Central's reporter then interjected, stating "Well this document does exist," to which Rep. Williams responded "The fact that the document exists, 'Mein Kampf' exists, I haven't read that. Karl Marx, 'The Communist Manifesto' exists, I haven't read that either. The fact that the document exists doesn't make it policy for me or for President Trump or anyone else. It's just a red herring meant to distract people from the actual things that are being said."

Following this interview, spokesperson Taylor Weyeneth clarified that Rep. Williams' policy stances are based purely on the needs of Central New Yorkers. Rep. Williams had said this was the focus, not necessarily looking to run on Trump's name in a district that the president lost by 11 points in 2020.

Rep. Brandon Williams and Sen. John Mannion discuss key issues heading into NY-22 race

Rep. Williams said that looking forward, he knows that Republicans will need to reinvent themselves when Trump eventually is no longer the face of the party.

"It is far from settled in terms of what the character of the Republican Party will look like after Donald Trump, I'm very concerned and focused on that," Rep. Williams said.

Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Sen. John Mannion is backing Vice President Kamala Harris to take over next January at the White House. He has been endorsed by top level democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.