--- title: Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk Retracts Donald Trump Endorsement description: Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk retracted his endorsement of Donald Trump, saying the presidential candidate lacks the “temperament” to lead the US canonical: https://time.com/4360450/illinois-senator-mark-kirk-donald-trump/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-07T20:21:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:14.677Z article:section: Politics og:title: Republican Sen. Mark Kirk Retracts Endorsement of Donald Trump og:description: "I cannot and will not support my party’s nominee for President" og:url: https://time.com/4360450/illinois-senator-mark-kirk-donald-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdedc08d77700dcc8/698896d5196cf4210d03beb1/mark-kirk-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Sen. Mark Kirk og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republican Sen. Mark Kirk Retracts Endorsement of Donald Trump twitter:description: "I cannot and will not support my party’s nominee for President" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdedc08d77700dcc8/698896d5196cf4210d03beb1/mark-kirk-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk Retracts Donald Trump Endorsement > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Politicians React To Trump's Attack On Trump University Judge [Watch (HLS stream): Politicians React To Trump's Attack On Trump University Judge](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PGN2n8ZY.m3u8) (1:20)  _Published 2016-06-06_  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jun 7, 2016 8:21 PM UTC  Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., is pictured here on July 15, 2015. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., is pictured here on July 15, 2015. Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call,Inc.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jun 7, 2016 8:21 PM UTC [Republican Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk](https://twitter.com/MarkKirk/status/740266906922438656) on Tuesday retracted his endorsement of Donald Trump, saying the presidential candidate lacks the “temperament” to lead the country following [comments Trump made](http://time.com/4360328/mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-minority-groups/?xid=homepage) about a judge’s Mexican heritage. Kirk, who is up for re-election this year in President Barack Obama’s home state, announced he has pulled his support for Trump in a statement that also slammed the mogul’s campaign rhetoric. “I have spent my life building bridges and tearing down barriers—not building walls. That’s why I find Donald Trump’s belief that an American-born judge of Mexican descent is incapable of fairly presiding over his case is not only dead wrong, it is un-American,” the statement said, according to the [Chicago _Sun Times_](http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/sen-mark-kirk-withdraws-support-for-trump/). “As the Presidential campaign progressed, I was hoping the rhetoric would tone down and reflect a campaign that was inclusive, thoughtful and principled,” Kirk added. “While I oppose the Democratic nominee, Donald Trump’s latest statements, in context with past attacks on Hispanics, women and the disabled like me, make it certain that I cannot and will not support my party’s nominee for President regardless of the political impact on my candidacy or the Republican Party.” > [](https://twitter.com/MarkKirk/status/740266906922438656) Trump has come under fire from several GOP leaders who condemned him for suggesting Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over a legal case against Trump University, is biased because of his Mexican ancestry. Kirk, earlier this year in [at least two interviews](http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/06/politics/mark-kirk-tammy-duckworth-illinois-senate-donald-trump/) with media outlets, has said he would “certainly” endorse the Republican Party’s nominee. He backtracked on Tuesday, citing the firestorm surrounding the remarks he made about Curiel. “After much consideration, I have concluded that Donald Trump has not demonstrated the temperament necessary to assume the greatest office in the world,” Kirk said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4360450/illinois-senator-mark-kirk-donald-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4360450/illinois-senator-mark-kirk-donald-trump/"},"headline":"Illinois Sen. 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