"Understand endorsement power only works within your existing coalition The panelists documented how Trump's endorsement had become the most sought-after commodity in Republican primaries, with candidates and their staffs "desperately lobbying the president" for a single tweet or robocall because it had proven able to "push candidates over the top" in primaries. But they immediately noted the crucial limitation: a primary electorate is a narrow, already-committed base, and the general election is "a very different electorate." The lesson for anyone deploying social proof or endorsements — in sales, hiring, or coalition-building — is that influence from a credible champion works powerfully within an in-group but does not automatically transfer to a broader, more skeptical audience. Source: Panel Journalists, Live Ottawa Political Forum, Trump, Canada, and American Politics Panel"