Donald Trump has jumped into New York’s attorney general race with a fresh endorsement aimed straight at one of his oldest political enemies. He is backing Republican Saritha Komatireddy in the bid to unseat Letitia James, while also reviving his attack on James over the mortgage fraud fight that has shadowed both of them for years.
Trump praised Komatireddy on Truth Social as an “America First Patriot” and said she should be the next attorney general of the “once wonderful State of New York.” He also unloaded on James, calling her the “Most Corrupt Attorney General in the Country,” in a post that made it clear this race is about more than just one office.
The endorsement lands as Trump keeps pressing the case that James should face prosecution over mortgage fraud allegations. That dispute sits in the middle of a long-running clash that began when James went after Trump and the Trump Organization in court, accusing them of inflating asset values to get better loans.
James did score a major legal win in that case, but the fight did not end there. An appeals court later threw out the nearly $465 million financial penalty, saying the huge disgorgement award ran afoul of the Constitution’s ban on excessive fines.
Trump did not hold back in describing James, brushing her off as a failed political figure who has spent too much time chasing him instead of dealing with New York’s problems. He argued the state is drowning in violent crime and losing people and businesses to other places, a line of attack that has become a familiar Trump message whenever New York politics comes up.
Komatireddy enters the race with credentials that Trump is eager to highlight. She has worked as chief of staff to the Drug Enforcement Administration, served as a federal prosecutor, and clerked for Brett Kavanaugh before he joined the Supreme Court.
Trump framed her as the kind of prosecutor who would restore “LAW AND ORDER” and put weight behind police, first responders, veterans, the military, election integrity, border security, and the Second Amendment. It was a full-throated pitch designed to cast her as a sharp contrast to James and to plug her into the broader Trump-style political brand.
Komatireddy has also made her own case against James, especially on the state’s fraud investigations. She has argued that New Yorkers need a tougher, more effective attorney general, and she welcomed the endorsement in a post on X, saying she was honored by Trump’s support and focused on winning over voters this fall.
The race now sits at the intersection of Trump loyalty, legal revenge, and New York’s deep blue politics. James remains one of the most prominent Democrats in the state, while Komatireddy is trying to turn Trump’s backing into momentum in a contest where every public swipe and every policy pledge is likely to land with a thud.
Trump’s renewed attention also signals that the feud is nowhere near cooling off. With James still in office and Komatireddy trying to break through, the campaign is shaping up as a loud, personal, and very public test of whether Trump’s endorsement can move the needle in a state where Republicans usually start behind the eight ball.
