--- title: "Trump endorses Darren Bailey for Illinois governor" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-endorses-darren-bailey-for-illinois-governor" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-endorses-darren-bailey-for-illinois-governor" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-endorses-darren-bailey-for-illinois-governor.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/trump-endorses-darren-bailey-for-illinois-governor" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-14T23:25:27.140Z" source_reported: "2026-09-14T22:31:00.000Z" updated: "2026-09-14T23:25:27.140Z" trust_score: 68 critic_score: 87 hype_score: 18 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-14T23:15:26.951702+00:00" --- # Trump endorses Darren Bailey for Illinois governor *President reiterates support for Republican candidate ahead of golf tournament* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 68 of 100, higher is better. Trust 68: multiple outlets, named persons, dates, but no figures cited. - Craft 87 of 100, higher is better. Critic 87: context given, Pritzker quoted, clear dates/names, well‑structured. - Hype 18 of 100, lower is better. Hype 18: measured language, no sensational clickbait. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Donald Trump endorsed Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey on September 13, calling him a "very good candidate" and stating "I'm all for Bailey." - Trump mentioned Bailey's family tragedy, where his son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren died in an October 2025 helicopter crash. - Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker responded on X, criticising Trump's endorsement and MAGA policies. - BizToc claims Trump's endorsement contributed to Bailey's 2022 election loss to Pritzker. President Donald Trump endorsed Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey on September 13, stating he was "all for Bailey" and calling him a "very good candidate." Trump made the remarks outside Air Force One ahead of a golf tournament in Chicago where he is scheduled to be the honorary chairman. The president also referenced a tragedy that befell Bailey's family, noting that his son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren were killed in an October 2025 helicopter crash that partially wiped out his family. Governor J.B. Pritzker, Bailey's opponent, responded to the endorsement on X, criticising Trump's backing and MAGA policies. Pritzker stated that Illinois does not want policies that "raise prices, dismantle reproductive rights, and launch disastrous wars of choice." ## Disagreement on endorsement's impact BizToc claims that Trump's endorsement contributed to Bailey's loss to Pritzker in the 2022 election. None of the other reports mention the impact of this endorsement on past election results. ## What the coverage left out None of the reports printed below mention the specific date of the October 2025 helicopter crash that killed members of Bailey's family. No right-rated outlet ran this story. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 67% (4) - Centre: 33% (2) - Right: 0% (0) 2 of 8 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-14T23:15:26.951702+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 1 time; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-14T23:30:16.948Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports from Chicago Sun Times, USA Today, and NBC Chicago led with Trump's endorsement of Bailey. They all included Trump's description of Bailey as a "very good candidate" and his statement "I'm all for Bailey." The Chicago Sun Times digest noted that the endorsement was unlikely to help Bailey court Chicago-area moderates in his rematch against Pritzker. NBC Chicago also highlighted Trump's description of Pritzker as a "disaster." ### Centre - The centre-rated reports from Journal Star and capitolfax.com focused on Trump's endorsement of Bailey. Both included Trump's statements "I'm all for Bailey" and "very good candidate." The Journal Star report also detailed Trump's comments about Pritzker being a "disaster" and mentioned the tragedy involving Bailey's family. Capitolfax.com's digest included a transcript of the exchange where Trump was asked about meeting Bailey. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 6 - unknown: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [BizToc](https://biztoc.com/x/7d12ccab68060633) — Trump backs Darren Bailey for Illinois governor as GOP candidate has sought to distance himself from president - [Usa news site](https://usanewssite.com/2026/09/14/president-trump-endorses-darren-bailey-in-illinois-governor-race-pritzkers-a-disaster) — President Trump endorses Darren Bailey in Illinois governor race — ‘Pritzker’s a disaster’ - [The State Journal-Register](https://sj-r.com/story/news/state/2026/09/14/president-trump-endorses-darren-bailey-as-next-illinois-governor/91759317007) — President Trump endorses Darren Bailey as next Illinois governor - [Chicago Sun Times](https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/09/14/trump-endorses-bailey-pritzker-illinois-governor-race) — President Trump endorses Darren Bailey in Illinois governor race — ‘Pritzker’s a disaster’ - [USA Today](https://usatoday.com/story/news/state/2026/09/14/president-trump-endorses-darren-bailey-as-next-illinois-governor/91759317007) — President Trump endorses Darren Bailey as next Illinois governor - [Journal Star](https://pjstar.com/story/news/state/2026/09/14/president-trump-endorses-darren-bailey-as-next-illinois-governor/91759317007) — President Trump endorses Darren Bailey as next Illinois governor - [capitolfax.com](https://capitolfax.com/2026/09/14/trump-%e2%80%98i%e2%80%99ve-already-endorsed-him-i%e2%80%99m-all-for-bailey%e2%80%99) — Capitol Fa - Your Illinois News Radar » Trump: ‘I’ve already endorsed him. I’m all for Bailey’CapitolFax.com - [NBC Chicago](https://nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/president-trump-endorses-darren-bailey-calls-him-very-good-candidate/3988748) — President Trump endorses Darren Bailey, calls him ‘very good candidate' ## Questions **When did Donald Trump endorse Darren Bailey?** Donald Trump endorsed Darren Bailey on September 13. He called Bailey a "very good candidate" and stated "I'm all for Bailey." **What tragedy did Trump mention regarding Bailey's family?** Trump mentioned a tragedy where Bailey's son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren were killed in an October 2025 helicopter crash. This accident partially wiped out his family. **How did J.B. Pritzker respond to the endorsement?** Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker responded on X, criticising Trump's endorsement and MAGA policies. He stated that Illinois does not want policies that "raise prices, dismantle reproductive rights, and launch disastrous wars of choice." --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-endorses-darren-bailey-for-illinois-governor. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Trump endorses Darren Bailey for Illinois governor", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-endorses-darren-bailey-for-illinois-governor