On Sunday, Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin said that the contest to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was a “lose-lose situation” and that Donald Trump should “stay out” of it.
You can’t win by becoming involved in the race, so my recommendation to President Trump—who is, after all, his own guy and does a terrific job making decisions—is to just keep out of it. Whatever leader is in charge, he must cooperate with them. The Republican from Oklahoma spoke with AWN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” adding that whoever takes the helm knows they’ll also need to collaborate with President Trump.
On Wednesday, McConnell made public his intention to resign in November, setting the stage for a highly competitive election to succeed the 82-year-old Republican from Kentucky. The front-runners in the race are South Dakota Senator John Thune, Texas Senator John Cornyn, and Wyoming Senator John Barrasso. With McConnell’s departure, the Republican Party will be much more fractured in the Senate and a power vacuum will be created. This contest also sets up a fight over the party’s future.
Although Thune has been critical of the former president in the past, Mullin has supported her because she is considered by some as the natural successor to Mitch McConnell as the second-ranking Republican in the Senate.
When asked about Thune’s previous criticisms of Trump, Mullin—who backed the candidate for president over a year ago—remarked, “After January 6, there were several individuals that came out that had harsh words to say about President Trump at the time.”
“Conversing with Senator Thune at this very moment, I believe you will find that he acknowledges the necessity of party unity and the inevitable nomination of President Trump,” he continued.
Among the three “Johns,” Thune’s relationship with Trump has been the most rocky. Last month, after initially doubting Trump’s capacity to be a viable general election contender, Thune embraced the former president.
In addition to Thune, Mullin named Barrasso, Cornyn, and Florida Senator Rick Scott as other strong contenders for the position, saying that he is “very good friends” with Thune.
“I simply have a stronger friendship with Thune, and I’ve witnessed his ability to lead shift,” Mullin restated, referencing Thune’s resilience in the face of McConnell’s health crisis last year.
The Oklahoma senator informed Bash that he and the former president had a “really good conversation last week,” but Mullin claimed he is “not sure” if Trump might scuttle Thune’s possible candidature.
