President-elect Donald Trump congratulated Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., after the lawmaker won the election to be the next Senate Republican leader.
Republicans won majorities in the House and Senate during the 2024 elections.
“Congratulations to Senator John Thune, the newly elected Senate Majority Leader. He moves quickly and will do an outstanding job,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
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President-elect Donald Trump, left, and Sen. John Thune, R.S.D. (Left: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Right: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and John Cornyn of Texas had also been vying for the seat.
“Although this is not the outcome we hoped for, I will do everything I can to ensure that John Thune is successful in delivering on President Trump’s agenda,” Scott said in a statement.
“We are united and prepared to implement President Trump’s agenda from day one, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to seize the opportunities we will have next year to confirm nominees, address our national debt, extend tax cuts Trump, and reverse the disastrous border policies of the Biden-Harris administration,” Cornyn said in a statement.
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Outgoing US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, arrives for the Senate Republican leadership election at the US Capitol on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Thune will succeed current Senate Republican leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., next year. McConnell, a long-time incumbent, did not seek another term in office.
Trump said he looks forward to working with Thune and the other senators selected for various Republican leadership positions in the Senate.
“I look forward to working with him and Senators John Barrasso (Senate Majority Leader), Tom Cotton (Senate Republican Conference Chair), Shelley Moore Capito (Senate Republican Policy Committee Chair), James Lankford (Vice Chair of the Republican Conference) and Tim Scott (Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee) to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he said in the post.
SENATE LEADER CHALLENGE JOHN THUNE RESPONDS TO TRUMP’S NEW TOURNAMENT TEST AHEAD OF THE ELECTION
Senator John Thune, R.S.D., newly elected Senate Majority Leader for the upcoming 119th Congress, speaks to reporters at the United States Capitol on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC (TING SHEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Thune indicated during his remarks Wednesday that Republican senators will work with their House colleagues to implement Trump’s agenda.
