Senate Republicans have elected Senator John Thune of South Dakota as the next Senate majority leader. John Thune, the 63-year-old senator, won the position on Wednesday, defeating Florida Senator Rick Scott and Texas Senator John Cornyn.
As Mitch McConnell steps down after 18 years as the Republican leader, the race to become the next Senate majority leader becomes intense.
Florida Senator Rick Scott, who received support from Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk, and Tucker Carlson, was considered the toughest competitor for Thune. However, these endorsements backfired as Senate Republicans rejected outsiders' attempts to influence the leadership decisions.
The Republican Party won a 53-47 majority in the Senate last week, securing Trump's return to the White House.
Internet divided as Trump critic John Thune elected next Senate Republican over Rick Scott
Thune is set to take over from Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell and will serve for at least the next two years. Thune won the first round of the race with 23 votes, defending Scott, who got only 13 votes from his colleagues, and Cornyn, who earned 15 votes. In the second round, Thune contested against Cornyn and beat him by a margin of 29 to 24.
According to McConnell, the result "is a clear endorsement of a consummate leader," adding, "The confidence our colleagues have placed in John’s legislative experience and political skill is well deserved," he said in a statement.
Scott, on the other hand, regarded as a loyal lieutenant of Trump, was thought to win over his fellow senators.
"I ran for leader with one mission: to fundamentally change how the Senate operates and upend the status quo," he said in a statement after being eliminated in the first round of the voting.
"Thune raised more than $31m (£24m) to elect Senate Republicans this election cycle, funds that contributed to the party flipping three Democrat-held seats last week and retaking a Senate majority," the BBC reported.
However, Thune reportedly has long had an uneven relationship with Trump, as he criticized Trump's "inexcusable" actions that led to the US Capitol riot in January 2021 and initially backed Senator Tim Scott in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Thune winning the next Senate Republican seat has divided supporters as they took to social media to express their opinions.
"I guess that's a good thing," a user said.
"Better than Rick Scott, I think," someone said.
Another user wrote,
"The irony is that John Thune, the candidate the MAGA coalition fought against, will likely be more effective in advancing the Trump/MAGA agenda than Rick Scott, who lacks the organizational skills and does not enjoy the respect of his colleagues like Thune does."
Whereas another said,
"EVERY Senator who voted For John Thune to be the Senate Majority Leader is a Traitor. PERIOD. WE THE PEOPLE WANTED RICK SCOTT. Right?"
"It makes me happy that Elon Musk isn't excited about John Thune as Senate Majority Leader," a user posted.
"I hope he respects the will of the People in our recent Presidential Election. The mandate given to President Trump should not be ignored. We, the People have spoken. Loud and Clear," someone else posted.
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However, Trump himself did not make his opinions about the senators public. On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump posted that he is looking forward to working with Thune.
“He moves quickly and will do an outstanding job," he said.
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