Trump protested the Republican leadership several times this week, but this time citing names. Thune, the Senate majority leader, was one of the main Republicans to speak in favor of accepting the results of the Electoral College and the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, drawing the ire of Trump.
“Once someone gets 270, I understand they’re deciding now, but I think it’s the process we have, yes. … In the end, at some point, you’ll have to face the music. Electoral College if settling the issue today, it’s time for everyone to move on, “said Thune ahead of the electoral college’s formal voting process last month.
The president returned to Washington before the January 6 event, when up to 140 House Republicans, accompanied by at least one senator, Missouri Republican Josh Hawley, were able to vote to reject electoral votes in decisive states that Trump lost. Trump praised Hawley in a tweet on Thursday night.
On Friday, Hawley told reporters that he has not yet decided how many states the results of the Electoral College he plans to object to, saying, “I have not yet discovered the mechanism.”
Several of Hawley’s Republican colleagues expressed concern on Friday about his plans and the impact that such a move could have on American democracy. Retired Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said he thinks Hawley’s planned objection is a mistake, while Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, a vocal critic of Trump, said “spreading this kind of rumor about our electoral system doesn’t functioning is dangerous for democracy here and abroad. “
Thune told reporters on Friday that “this is an issue that has incredible consequences, it is extremely rare historically and it creates precedents. So our members are – this is a big vote, they are thinking about it.”
“I think now that we are under arrest to do this, we are going to air the objections and people can have their day in court and we will listen to everyone and vote,” he continued. “Like I said, I think in the end, I don’t think anything will change.”
“We are allowing people to vote for their conscience,” said Thune, with several Republican members saying there is not much they can do to prevent Hawley from opposing.
Trump is already beginning to predict how his post-presidency will go. In recent days, he has suggested that Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, whom he had endorsed and was a loyal ally of Trump until the November vote, resigned because it would not help to undo Biden’s victory in that state. He also repeatedly attacked Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensberger, another Republican he had endorsed during the 2018 midterm elections.
The president has raised hundreds of millions of dollars since the November 3 election, most of which goes directly to a new fundraising leadership PAC, Save America, which should assist him in donating to other candidates and political activities while he considers a potential presidential candidacy in 2024.
With this tweet, Trump is already planting the idea that he would support candidates who offer primary challenges to current Republicans in the House and Senate that he considers disloyal.
For her part, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a key Trump ally, said last week that she would not seek the Senate seat.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska criticized Trump for encouraging a primary 2022 challenge against Thune. She told CNN on Friday: “I find it very interesting that he has demanded a loyalty test from so many Republicans and then, when they are loyal to him – and there is an incident, a statement – and he is the first to play these loyal individuals under the bus. This is not loyalty, as I know loyalty. “
As a key member of the Republican Party leadership team, Thune has done much to promote Trump’s causes on Capitol Hill – from passing tax cuts and other legislation, confirming Supreme Court nominees and several other judges, as well as critical absolution votes during the Senate impeachment trial – even though he occasionally spoke about some of the president’s most controversial acts.
For her part, Thune ignored the presidential tweet with laughter.
“Yes, well, finally an attack tweet. Why did it take so long?” a calm, soft-spoken Thune told reporters when he was leaving Capitol Hill after the vote to overturn Trump’s veto of the defense bill. “It’s okay, that’s how he communicates.”
Thune said there was no effort to fix things with the president: “No, I’m not sure what I did to deserve all of this, but that’s okay. Like I said, I’m not sure if anything changes its mind as soon as it invents. “
This story has been updated with additional reports.
CNN’s Caroline Kelly contributed to this report.