Thune Responds To Trump Post

By
Rachel Stevenson
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Well, it looks like the race for GOP Senate leader has sparked a showdown over who’s truly committed to Trump’s vision—and who’s simply playing the part.

On one side, we have Senate Minority Whip John Thune, who’s trying to stay “open” to Trump’s latest demand for a GOP leader who will push through recess appointments to get nominees past a likely Democratic blockade. On the other, there’s Senator Rick Scott, the conservative favorite, who’s already signaled a resounding “100% agree” to Trump’s plan to stop Democrats from stalling cabinet confirmations.

Let’s be clear: Thune is hardly a firebrand of the MAGA movement. He’s earned a reputation as a classic “RINO” (Republican in Name Only), carefully weighing his options and playing both sides. His response to Trump’s push for recess appointments? Non-committal at best.

Thune told Fox News Digital that “all options are on the table” and that he’s “spent eight months carefully listening” to colleagues. That’s about as lukewarm as it gets. While he gives lip service to confirming nominees quickly, you’d think Thune’s campaign slogan was “All options are on the table.” For many conservatives, that’s hardly a ringing endorsement of Trump’s agenda.

Meanwhile, Rick Scott isn’t beating around the bush. He’s made it clear he’ll “do whatever it takes” to get Trump’s appointments through as fast as possible, aligning himself directly with Trump’s call for a more aggressive, no-nonsense Senate leader. This isn’t Scott’s first rodeo taking the conservative line over the establishment approach, either. Scott’s swift response on X (formerly Twitter) signals exactly where he stands: he’s ready to fight the D.C. gridlock and doesn’t need to “consider his options.”

Then there’s John Cornyn of Texas, who also seems to be positioning himself as a tough alternative to Thune. Cornyn has promised that if he becomes majority leader, there will be no “weekends, no breaks” until Trump’s cabinet nominees are confirmed. His stance seems more pragmatic than Scott’s, but still, Cornyn hasn’t given Trump’s recess appointments idea his stamp of approval. Instead, he’s putting the ball in the Democrats’ court, daring them to “cooperate… or continue the resistance.”

The real question here is, who’s going to follow through on Trump’s push to bypass Democratic obstructionism? The recess appointment power has long been available to presidents, but it’s often stifled by pro-forma sessions—those quick, symbolic “sessions” the Senate holds to technically stay open and block appointments.

Trump has been burned by this tactic before; back in 2020, he even threatened to adjourn Congress himself to get around it. It’s understandable why he’d want the next GOP leader to be on board with using every tool possible to cut through the political gamesmanship and get his agenda moving.


On November 13, GOP Senators will cast their votes by secret ballot. Trump hasn’t officially endorsed anyone yet, but if the GOP’s goal is to stay true to conservative principles, Thune’s “open to it” attitude probably won’t win him much favor. Scott and Cornyn’s strong stances seem more in line with what Republicans are after a leader who will actually stand up to Democrats and deliver for Trump’s second term. For those who want someone with a spine rather than someone who’s still “carefully listening,” Scott just might be the clear choice.

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