Second Most Senior Senate Republican Endorses Trump After Defeat Of Haley In Her Home State

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (SD-R), the second most senior Senate Republican leader, endorsed former President Donald Trump following his defeat of Nikki Haley in South Carolina.

The Republican frontrunner locked up an essential endorsement from one of the leading figures in the Republican party as he inches closer to taking the GOP presidential nomination for a third time.

Thune serves as the top deputy for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, one of the most outspoken critics of Trump in the establishment wing of the GOP. McConnell has refused to endorse Trump and refused to support his claims that he won the 2020 presidential election.

“The primary results in South Carolina make clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for president in this year’s pivotal presidential election. The choice before the American people is crystal clear: It’s Donald Trump or Joe Biden,” Thune said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“I support former President Trump’s campaign to win the presidency, and I intend to do everything I can to see that he has a Republican majority in the Senate working with him to restore American strength at home and abroad,” he added.

Thune concluded, “Together we must put an end to the disastrous Biden-Schumer agenda. Our country cannot endure another four years of Bidenomics, continued lawlessness at our southern border, and American weakness on the global stage.”

According to Fox News:

Thune and Trump spoke by phone on Saturday night after Trump’s commanding victory in the South Carolina Republican primary, a source familiar with the call told Fox News Digital.

It wasn’t clear before now whether Thune, who’s seen as one of McConnell’s potential successors to lead the Senate Republican Conference, would endorse either of the two major candidates for the 2024 GOP nomination.

Previously, Thune had endorsed Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) at the start of his campaign, but he dropped out of the race last year and endorsed Trump last month. Trump defeated Haley in South Carolina’s GOP primary last night within minutes of polls closing by over 20 points.

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