--- description: New York Rep. Chris Collins and California Rep. Duncan Hunter on Wednesday became the first members of Congress to endorse Donald Trump title: Donald Trump Gets First Congressional Endorsements image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1ab032dd63aa9680/69887ef20b72e3e99c6e848b/chris-collins-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Donald Trump](/tag/donald-trump/) ## Donald Trump Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Donald Trump Gets First Congressional Endorsements ## Video: TIME Raw: Trump Sweeps Nevada [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Raw: Trump Sweeps Nevada](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8h9k0L32.m3u8) (1:17)  _Published 2016-02-24_  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 24, 2016 5:13 PM CUT  Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., leaves the House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Nov. 3, 2015. Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., leaves the House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Nov. 3, 2015.Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call/Getty  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 24, 2016 5:13 PM CUT New York Republican [Rep. Chris Collins](http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/washington-politics/chris-collins-becomes-first-sitting-member-of-congress-to-endorse-trump-20160224 "undefined") and California Republican [Rep. Duncan Hunter](http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/02/duncan-hunter-endorses-donald-trump-219725 "undefined") on Wednesday became the first sitting members of Congress to endorse Republican frontrunner Donald Trump for president. “Donald Trump has clearly demonstrated that he has both the guts and the fortitude to return our nation’s jobs stolen by China, take on our enemies like ISIS, Iran, North Korea and Russia, and most importantly, reestablish the opportunity for our children and grandchildren to attain the American Dream,” Collins said in a statement reported by [The Buffalo _News_](http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/washington-politics/chris-collins-becomes-first-sitting-member-of-congress-to-endorse-trump-20160224 "undefined"). Collins originally supported former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who [dropped out of the presidential race](http://time.com/4231664/jeb-bush-drops-out-president/ "undefined") on Saturday. “If we want to get our nation’s economy growing again and deal with the daunting fiscal issues threatening America’s future, it’s time to say no to professional politicians and yes to someone who has created jobs and grown a business,” Collins said, referring to Trump’s business background. “We don’t need a policy wonk as president. We need a leader as president,” Hunter said Wednesday in an [interview with _Politico_](http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/02/duncan-hunter-endorses-donald-trump-219725 "undefined"). “I think you have more Trump supporters in Congress. They just have to come out of the closet, so to speak,” he said. Their support, which comes a day after [Trump’s easy victory in the Nevada caucuses](http://time.com/4235035/nevada-caucus-results-donald-trump-ted-cruz-marco-rubio-win/ "undefined"), represents some of the first mainstream Republican endorsements for Trump. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio handily leads his opponents in political endorsements, racking up 54, [according to _Roll Call_.](http://www.rollcall.com/endorsementtracker/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4235645/donald-trump-chris-collins-endorsement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4235645/donald-trump-chris-collins-endorsement/"},"headline":"Donald Trump Gets First Congressional Endorsements","datePublished":"2016-02-24T17:13:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T15:20:14.484Z","description":"The endorsements follow Trump's victory in the Nevada caucuses","url":"https://time.com/4235645/donald-trump-chris-collins-endorsement/","keywords":["Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1ab032dd63aa9680/69887ef20b72e3e99c6e848b/chris-collins-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1ab032dd63aa9680/69887ef20b72e3e99c6e848b/chris-collins-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Rep. 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