RINOs Keep Senate As Thune Beats Rick Scott To Replace McConnell

President Trump's mandate just got a little more complicated, as longtime never-Trumper John Thune (R-SD) was just elected Senate majority leader, setting the stage for him to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the longest-serving GOP leader who has held the top spot for the past 18 years.

Thune, the Senate GOP whip and the #2 ranking member since 2019, largely managed operation of the Senate floor since McConnell suffered a concussion in 2023.

As Axios notes, Thune's win "is a victory for the post-Trump establishment," as he's "not a natural, true-believer Trump guy like Rick Scott and his supporters are."

Several of Trump's most prominent supporters, including Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson and RFK Jr. had endorsed Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) in the race.

John Cornyn, an underdog to Thune, ended up finishing in a close second.

Needless to say, things just got more complicated for MAGA...

FLASHBACK: Here are Thune *and* Cornyn going on broadcast TV and TRASHING President Trump after the E Jean Carroll case just last year - 2023

pic.twitter.com/JqHIWlFz2X

— Jack Poso (@JackPosobiec)

Twitter

cc: @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/c76qoG9hbX

— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino)

Twitter

getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

Video resurfaces of Senator John Cornyn saying Trump "can't win in 2024" because he doesn't appeal to people beyond his base.

Trump won the 2024 election in a landslide by appealing to people beyond his base.

Cornyn is currently fighting for the GOP Senate leader position but… pic.twitter.com/uWmyHFQ4di

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg)

Twitter

So let me get this straight, Republicans want to vote for Cornyn to lead the Senate, where they only have the majority because of Donald J Trump, when a year ago, Cornyn was saying that Trump shouldn’t even run or be nominated by the Republican Party because he cannot win… pic.twitter.com/DMvUOVeSG0

— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree)

Twitter

THUNE IN 2018: The Mueller Investigation needs to move forward pic.twitter.com/Mup25fOm1h

— Jack Poso (@JackPosobiec)

Twitter