GOP congressman who said last year that Trump 'can't be trusted' and is 'not fit to lead' just endorsed his 2024 campaign

• Michigan Rep. John James endorsed former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign on Tuesday.
• But in December, James harshly condemned Trump over his call to terminate the US Constitution.
• James said at the time that Trump "can't be trusted" and is "not fit to lead."

Rep. John James of Michigan became the latest House Republican to endorse former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign on Tuesday, joining the rest of his state's GOP House members in doing so.

In a statement accompanying his endorsement, James argued that President Joe Biden's policies had been "particularly detrimental to Michigan's middle-class," contrasting them with what he described as Trump's "pro-family policies" when he was president.

"In 2024, we need to give hope to Americans who feel like their government is failing them," James added.

But just a few months ago, James was sounding a very different tune.

When Trump seemingly called for the "termination" of the US Constitution in December, James condemned Trump in stark terms.

"A man who would suspend the Constitution can't be trusted," James said at the time, according to local Michigan news outlet WLNS. "Anyone who will put their egos over people is not fit to lead."

The outlet reported at the time that James declined to say whether he'd support Trump's third presidential campaign, saying it was too early.

Asked about the apparent change of heart by reporter Riley Beggin, James again pointed to Trump's policies, while arguing that an early endorsement gave him "the most time to focus on pragmatic policy rather than the politics."

—Riley Beggin (@rbeggin) July 11, 2023

Still, the endorsement from James is notable.

Unlike many of the Republicans who have already backed Trump's campaign, James represents a swing district, and is likely to face a tough challenge from Democrats next year. He's also a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a centrist coalition made of equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats.

And James — who ran for Senate in Michigan in both 2018 and 2020 — has long been critical of Trump and has argued for a vision of the party that differs from that of the former president.