President Donald Trump unloaded on Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas Sunday after the longtime border-state lawmaker announced he will seek reelection as a Democrat — despite Trump granting full pardons to both Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, just days earlier.
Cuellar confirmed Wednesday he would run again as a Democrat, hours after Trump pardoned the couple over federal bribery charges brought by the Biden Justice Department. In a blistering Truth Social post, Trump accused Democrats of waging a politically motivated campaign to destroy Cuellar and his family.
“Can you imagine???” Trump wrote. “The Democrats, under the Crooked Joe Biden Administration… wanted to put Congressman Henry Cuellar, and his wife, Imelda, in PRISON, for 15 years.” Trump said he had predicted Democrats would pursue such charges and that they “never stopped wanting to fulfill this evil quest!”
According to Trump, Democrats continued to target Cuellar even after losing the 2024 presidential election. “They were looking to destroy him, his lovely wife, his two young daughters, and anyone close to them,” he said. Trump suggested the couple was targeted because Cuellar “strongly wanted, correctly, BORDER SECURITY” and had opposed the Biden administration’s permissive immigration policies.
Trump went on to say he had “no doubt” the pardon was the right decision, arguing it potentially saved Cuellar’s family from being “tormented by very sick and deranged people.” The president said he left office confident the pardon upheld basic fairness and justice.
But Trump made clear he felt betrayed by Cuellar’s decision to stay aligned with a party that pursued criminal charges against him. “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,” Trump wrote. “Such a lack of LOYALTY… Oh well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!”
Cuellar defended himself by reiterating that he considers himself a conservative Democrat who works across party lines and supports Trump when it benefits the country. “I’m a conservative Democrat… I want to see the president succeed. President Trump… and I will work with anybody,” Cuellar said, adding that differences do not prevent him from supporting Trump on key issues.
Trump granted full pardons to Cuellar and his wife Wednesday. The couple had been charged with accepting roughly $600,000 from Azerbaijani officials and a Mexican financial institution between 2014 and 2021 in exchange for using Cuellar’s office to advance Azerbaijan’s interests. Cuellar and his wife repeatedly denied the allegations, and their trial was not expected until 2026. Cuellar remained in Congress throughout the investigation.
Cuellar, who represents a heavily Hispanic district in South Texas, has long broken with Democratic leadership on border security. He criticized Biden’s immigration approach, publicly opposed Democrats attempting to block the deportation of an alleged MS-13 member, and supported several GOP-backed bills, including measures addressing migrant crime and protecting women’s sports. He also sided with Republicans and moderates in supporting the bipartisan deal that reopened the government during the 2025 shutdown.
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