President Donald Trump trolled newly elected Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez on Twitter over the weekend, suggesting his victory will benefit the Republican Party.
Perez, former President Barack Obama's secretary of labor, was elected to head the DNC on Saturday. Trump was eager to congratulate Perez shortly after the vote, writing that his win will help Republicans.
"Congratulations to Thomas Perez," Trump tweeted as an apparent joke. "I could not be happier for him, or for the Republican Party!"
Congratulations to Thomas Perez, who has just been named Chairman of the DNC. I could not be happier for him, or for the Republican Party!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017
Perez beat Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn.) for chairman in a race that highlighted the divide between Democratic Party leadership, which largely backed the former, and the more progressive wing of the party, which supported the latter.
Trump claimed that failed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton "demanded" Perez for DNC chairman and compared Ellison's loss to Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I., Vt.) defeat in the 2016 Democratic primary.
The race for DNC Chairman was, of course, totally "rigged." Bernie's guy, like Bernie himself, never had a chance. Clinton demanded Perez!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2017
Perez made Ellison, who Sanders endorsed, his deputy chair on Saturday.
Ellison had to push back against criticism over his past controversial comments and associations during his bid to head the DNC. The Minnesota Democrat has allegedly defended anti-Semitic leaders in the past and made comments hostile to the state of Israel.