People familiar with the campaign’s operation said they expect a number of prominent Trumpworld surrogates to soon hit the trail with Oz, demonstrating the depth of his MAGA backing. Among them are Ben Carson, who headed the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Trump, and John Fredericks, a conservative talk radio host, both slated to appear at an Oz event next week…

According to people familiar with the matter, those most influential in the decision included Hannity; Trump’s wife, Melania Trump; and Palm Beach friends such as billionaire Steve Wynn. Trump was impressed by the crowds at Oz’s Senate campaign events, and he was aware that McCormick had made negative comments about Trump in the past on video, according to a person familiar with Trump’s thinking.

One person close to Trump shrugged off any notion that Trump is having buyer’s remorse or suffering any headaches over his endorsement of Oz. “The authentic outrage versus the paid outrage has been hard to discern,” the person said.

The Oz campaign, meanwhile, argued that the narrative about the backlash to Trump’s nod has been overblown, and driven by the McCormick team.