In a Truth Social post on Sunday, President Donald Trump urged Tennesseans to support Republican candidate Matt Van Epps in the special election for the Volunteer State’s 7th Congressional District.
Trump called on “all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE,” just two days before the election on December 2. State Representative Aftyn Behn, Van Epps’ Democratic opponent, “hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music,” according to the president.
The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had, Matt Van Epps!”
Trump concluded that Van Epps has his “Complete and Total Endorsement” and “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Van Epps, a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard and a former Army helicopter pilot, was formally endorsed by Trump earlier this year and called his support “an incredible honor.”
Trump’s post comes as Behn draws national attention for her past comments, ranging from anti-police rhetoric to her dislike of country music and Nashville’s drinking culture.
The Democrat was also once a frequent advocate for cutting police funding, even suggesting that the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department should be defunded.
“In 2020, you made some tweets that have since been deleted that were very critical of police… 2020 was obviously a very fraught year. Do you still stand by those comments? And if not, is there anything you want to clarify?” host Catherine Rampell asked.
Democratic congressional nominee State Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, attends a campaign event during the special election for the seventh district, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, Nashville. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)
I’m not going to engage in cable news talking points, but what I will say is that, you know, our communities need solutions,” Behn responded. “We need local people deciding, solving local problems with local solutions. And that’s not the overreach of a federal government or state government of which we are dealing with in Nashville and our cities across the state of Tennessee.”
