South Dakota senator John Thune has been elected the next Republican leader in the Senate during Donald Trump’s second term, setting him up as a potential check on the incoming president’s agenda and power.
The decision by a majority of Republicans to back Thune is a rebuke to Trump allies, including billionaire Tesla boss Elon Musk, Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk and former Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson, who had all pushed for Florida senator Rick Scott to get the top job.
But Trump — who in the past called Thune “weak and ineffective” and a “Rino” or “Republican in name only” — did not make an endorsement in the leadership race.