Halo composer Marty O'Donnell welcomes Trump endorsement in Nevada Congress race, despite previous statements that Trump is an 'idiot' he loathes

After placing fourth in the June 2024 Republican primary, former Bungie composer Marty O'Donnell is taking another run at US Congress. This time, though, he has the backing of Donald Trump (via Kotaku).

O'Donnell, whose work as a composer encompasses Halo, Destiny, and various other games, and who is running for Nevada's 3rd Congressional District, won Trump's backing in a Truth Social post yesterday.

The president wrote that "It is my Great Honor to endorse America First Patriot, Marty O'Donnell," denounced Democratic incumbent Susie Lee as a "true Radical Left Extremist," and hailed O'Donnell as "a World-Class Composer and Entrepreneur who knows the America First Policies required to Create GREAT Jobs, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote NO TAX ON TIPS, Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A., and Champion our Nation’s Golden Age."

O'Donnell, who has seemingly revised his opinion on Trump since a 2016 tweet in which he denounced him as an "idiot," and a 2017 tweet in which he wrote that he "[loathed] Trump," welcomed the president's endorsement. "I am truly honored to have the support of President Donald J. Trump," wrote O'Donnell on X.

"Much like President Trump, I didn’t come from the world of politics," continued O'Donnell. "I spent my entire career in the business world. I had the honor of working with some incredible people and composing music for some of the greatest video games of all time… I appreciate the trust that the President has put in me and look forward to working with him in Congress."

O'Donnell is running against Tera Anderson, Jeff Gunter, and Aury Nagy in June 9's Republican primary for U.S. House Nevada District 3, all of whom have sought to associate themselves with Trump in voters' minds. "Like President Trump, she’s not a career politician," reads Anderson's pitch. "110% PRO-TRUMP," declares Gunter's website. "President Trump is fighting for common sense... and so am I," said Nagy in a recent Instagram post.

His work on Halo has been a regular feature in O'Donnell's political pitches. In the 2024 race, he declared that Congress would be "a walk in the park compared to making Halo 2," and has tempted punters to his meet-and-greets with pledges to "sign any Halo merch that you bring!"

O'Donnell was fired from Bungie in 2014, successfully sued the company over his shares the following year, but lost a subsequent case in which he was found in contempt of court after distributing music he had been ordered to return at the time of his departure. O'Donnell was ordered to pay Bungie nearly $100,000 in legal fees.