Trump sticks with Elvira Salazar despite ad saying president

Maria Elvira Salazar said something Trump didn't like. A lot of politicians would have spent the week shutting her out. Trump instead told reporters he disagrees with her, pointed to his border record, and made clear he still backs her reelection. That is not a muddle. That is a strategy. He’s holding a Republican seat while letting a member have her own opinion.

Salazar is wrong on the substance, for what it’s worth. Crossings are down, enforcement is up, and the administration has the receipts to argue its immigration approach is working. She represents a district where the issue hits home, so she gets to talk about it her way. But her criticism doesn’t rewrite the record. Trump’s patience is louder than her complaint.

The president understands something that escape-hatch conservatives never do. You don’t grow a majority by excommunicating every person who votes with you sometimes. Salazar voted for the agenda when it counted. That’s why Trump said “very strong” about his own record and then stood by her. Loyalty runs both ways in his book. She should remember that when the next tough vote comes around.