Donald Trump will to return to Capitol Hill this week just as Senate Republicans are scheduled to hold their highly-anticipated leadership elections.
It’s Trump’s first trip back to the hill one week after he achieved a historic victory over Kamala Harris and was instrumental to getting the Senate to flip red 53-47.
The House of Representatives is also just four seats away from keeping their slim majority over Democrats, which will hand Trump virtually unchecked power in Washington.
All eyes will be on the president-elect since he has yet to announce who he wants to lead the Senate with his political nemesis Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., stepping down.
Frontrunners Rick Scott of Florida, John Thune of South Dakota and John Cornyn of Texas are all in the mix to replace McConnell, who has led the conference since 2007.
Scott has joined Trump at rallies for years and endorsed the president in 2016. Many see him as the most pro-Trump candidate for Senate majority leader
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump will visit the Capitol on Wednesday morning before a planned meeting with President Joe Biden later in the afternoon.
The Senate leadership election is a closed process and and ballots results are private.
But Trump may take his time with the Senate on Wednesday to tip the scales at the last second.
He could also take to his Truth Social platform between now and them to make his choice known, blowing up any competition.
The president-elect will also be meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday, although they are expected to reelect their current top three – Speaker Mike Johnson, La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, La., and Whip Tom Emmer, Minn.
Trump’s inner circle has loudly been coalescing around one member to lead the Senate Republicans.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (C), with Senators John Barrasso (L) of Wyoming; John Thune (2nd L) of South Dakota and Majority Whip John Cornyn (2nd R). Cornyn and Thune are in the running for Senate Majority Leader
Billionaire and X owner Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy Jr., have both come out in favor of Scott, who is seen as a Trump loyalist.
‘Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader!’ Musk posted on his app X on Sunday.
‘Without Rick Scott, the entire Trump reform agenda wobbly,’ RFK similarly wrote on the same platform.
Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson notably threw his weight behind the Florida senator while throwing two other candidates under the bus.
‘Two of the three candidates hate Trump and what he ran on. One of them, John Cornyn, is an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney’s,’ Carlson said this week.
‘The election is Wednesday, it’s by secret ballot, and it will determine whether or not the new administration succeeds,’ he continued. ‘Rick Scott of Florida is the only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump.’
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said this week he supports Rick Scott’s bid for leader
Elon Musk, who has been with Trump huddled with president-elect Trump in recent days, wrote on X over the weekend he too is for Scott
Musk can be seen here dining with the ex-president, his granddaughter Kai, and advisors
Robert Kennedy Jr. said that trump’s agenda would be ‘wobbly’ under the leadership of anyone other than the Florida lawmaker
Previously, Trump weighed in on the GOP Senate leadership race saying that whoever is leader needs to support policies to lessen restrictions for presidential Cabinet confirmations.
‘Any Republican Senator seeking a leadership position must agree to Recess Appointments in the Senate,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘We can’t wait years for confirmations—positions need to be filled immediately.’
‘This is what they stalled four years ago, and it won’t happen again. Additionally, no judges should be approved during this period, as Democrats try to push through their judges while Republicans fight over leadership.’
And Scott has already said in multiple interviews he supports Trump’s Cabinet confirmation reforms.
‘I’m committed to getting President Trump’s nominees confirmed by the Senate immediately,’ he wrote on X following an interview with Fox News on the topic.
‘Democrats will do everything they can to stonewall the Trump agenda, and we need a Senate Majority Leader who will fight to get it done.’
Scott met with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in March
Thune and Cornyn, meanwhile, have been in the Senate for decades and are seen by their colleagues as the likely institutionalist picks.
Though Scott has served in the body since 2019, he does not have the seniority that the the Texan and South Dakotan offer – and seniority carries a lot of weight in the Senate.
Thune is reportedly outlined his plans to his colleagues before the Wednesday vote, including weekly meetings with Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and prioritizing debate among members before putting votes on the floor.
And already internal endorsements have started to fly.
North Dakota Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven have announced they are backing Thune in addition to Steve Daines, Markwayne Mullin and Mark Rounds.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley has pledged his support to Cornyn.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., talks during a news conference on immigration at the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in Washington
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) questions witnesses during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 8, 2023
Scott has the support of Sens. Ron Johnson, Rand Paul, Bill Hagerty, Tommy Tuberville.
On Tuesday evening Sen. Mike Lee will host a candidate forum where members can ask the three candidates questions about their priorities and how they will lead.
When the elections results will come out after Wednesday’s vote is currently unclear.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .