Despite Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)’s support of former President Donald Trump, Thune frequently criticizes Trump, his policies, tactics, and his ability to win the general election. I’ve been criticizing it.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) approved Former President Donald Trump this week, long after many in the Senate Republican leadership, including National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), endorsed him. became president.
Thune, the Three Johns’ potential successor to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), should resign as leader of the Senate Republican Conference. The other two Johns are Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who supports Mr. Trump and has a good working relationship with the former president, and John, who, like Mr. Thune, has doubts about Mr. Trump. -Senator Cornyn (Republican, Texas). He also supports Trump.
The South Dakota senator has always had a complicated relationship with the 45th president, often criticizing Trump’s policies and belittling his methods.
Thune did not endorse a candidate in the 2016 presidential primary.But he Said In March 2016, he said there was “still a path” for a candidate other than President Trump to win.
Thun didn’t do that. attend 2016 Republican National Convention, and in its place concentrated About his home state of South Dakota.
That same month, he declined to attend the Republican National Convention and praised Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
At the time, Mr. Thune served on the Senate Armed Services Committee with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) said she was “a studious person, she does her homework well, and she’s always prepared.” Thune reportedly never mentioned Trump in his remarks at the time.
“I think there’s a clear choice in this fall’s election. I may not agree with Donald Trump on everything, but when it comes to the Supreme Court, the economy, and national security, I think we need a new direction.” ,” he said at a veterans event at his local office.
Thune has repeatedly expressed concerns about the Trump administration.
South Dakota senator after President Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey Said“There are questions about timing that I think the government and the Department of Justice will need to answer in the coming days.”
February 2018, Thun raised Concerns about House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’ report related to information related to an opposition dossier that was partially funded by Democrats to help the FBI and Justice Department obtain warrants to monitor the 2016 election campaign. Alleges that he used it inappropriately.
“They need to consider what the FBI says, and if they need to edit it, they pay close attention to the opinions of the people who protect us about how this impacts national security.” I think we need to pay for it,”’ Thune said.established media outlet politiko Already used Thune’s remarks touted how the issue appears to “divide Republicans in the House and Senate.”
after trump fired Instead of confirming a new secretary of state who could support President Trump’s foreign policy, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he would “rather work on legislation.”
Thune warned President Trump not to nominate his personal pilot, John Dunkin, to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“I’d like to see someone sent out that we can easily check. I’m sure the Democrats probably want to make it a challenge,” Thune said. Said In February 2018.
tune Worried Regarding President Trump’s interference in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“I strongly hope that the president does not intervene in any way or make it difficult for Mr. Mueller to do his job. I have not hidden the fact that I do not like the president’s tweets. “I’m sure he’s venting his frustration. But I don’t think it’s constructive,” he said in March 2018.
tune asked a question President Trump’s trade strategy with China in 2018.
“I don’t know if there’s an actual plan or strategy to get them the results they want,” he says. “This seems to be, ‘Okay, there’s a trade deficit, we know China is cheating, and we’re going to punish them.'”
Thun continued: “It seems like there’s a lot of consideration to be given to unintended consequences. My impression is that none of that happened.”
The South Dakota senator, who chaired the Senate Commerce Committee in 2018, criticized President Trump’s involvement in the Federal Communications Commission’s review of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s acquisition of Tribune Media.
he Said“I don’t think it’s normal for a president to consider these types of issues. Preferably, I would like to see the FCC operate in an independent manner.”
Thune urged administration officials to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and questioned President Trump’s preference for bilateral trade deals. Many people criticize the TPP, believing that it will cause jobs to go overseas and lower wages.
“I have heard in recent years that we have been working on a bilateral trade agreement since we decided to withdraw from the TPP. But I see no evidence that we are.” Said.
Thune has been critical of President Trump’s use of X (then Twitter) to communicate with the American public about his policies.
he I have written January 2019:
I don’t know how many times I can say this, but I would like the president to stop tweeting, especially when it comes to these important national security issues where we have experts and backgrounds. Most of the time, when it comes to their judgment, I think he should take that into account.
Thune was one of many Senate Republicans to voice concerns about Stephen Miller’s apparent rise to power in President Trump’s White House. Miller was one of the most hardline immigration restrictionists in the Trump administration.
“I hope he hears more voices on these issues than that guy, because I think it’s important that he gets a holistic perspective and a wide range of opinions.” said Thun. Said In April 2019.
impeachment play
During Trump’s first impeachment, Thune expressed concern that Trump was conditioning military aid to Ukraine.
“The picture we get based on the coverage we’ve seen so far is, well, it’s not a good one,” Thun said. Said “But I would say that until we have a process in place that allows everyone to see this with full transparency, it will be very difficult to reach hard and quick conclusions.”
CNN at the time explained Thune criticized President Trump’s actions as “the most significant criticism of a major Republican.”
But the next day, he quickly retracted his criticism of Trump.
“Right now we’re hearing one side of the story. It’s hard to draw conclusions until we get the full picture.”
During Donald Trump’s second impeachment, Thune indicated he might support censuring the 45th president.
In February 2021, Thune, then the Senate Republican leader, said he might support a resolution to censure Trump. He said the resolution “is effective.”
“I know there are some resolutions out there. I’ve seen some resolutions that I think could at least garner some support,” Thun explained.
Asked by reporters if he could support one of the resolutions, the South Dakota Republican said: Said“Yeah.”
tune Appeared You will be impressed by the impeachment managers’ presentation in support of impeaching Trump.
“I think they were very effective. They had a strong, powerful presentation that was put together in a way that I thought was going to be very persuasive. “I think I did a good job,” he said.
Colorado Supreme Court silent on move to remove Trump from 2024 ballot
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Thune said: especially There was a hush as the state Supreme Court moved to block Trump’s vote on suspicion of inciting an “insurrection.” Other members of the Senate Republican leadership also voiced opposition to the move to remove Trump from the ballot.
This silence infuriated Donald Trump Jr.
He wrote in December 2023: “Mitch McConnell, John Thune and John Cornyn have remained silent. Of the four most senior members of the Senate Republican leadership, none of them have the courage to oppose what the radical left is trying to do to my father. Barrasso is the only one there.”
Mitch McConnell, John Thune, and John Cornyn remain silent.
Of the four most senior members of the Senate Republican leadership, Mr. Barrasso is the only one with the courage to oppose what the radical left is trying to do to his father. https://t.co/XpTfEQCQY6
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 20, 2023
Denies President Trump’s prospects for 2024 election
Tune of May 2023 approved The presidential campaign of Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina).he then pivoted She praised former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-South Carolina) even as Scott’s campaign failed.
In December 2023, politiko report A Republican close to Trump’s campaign said Thune could be a future target of Trump’s ire.
Asked in January how he could work with Trump after Thune had been such a vocal critic of him, he said, “No matter who the people of this country elect, it’s Trump. If he’s the president, we’re going to work with him.” I’ve done it in the past.We’ve had some great successes,” Thun said. Said.
However, he has expressed doubts about Trump’s ability to win the general election.
“If you want to get a majority, you need to do well at the top of the ticket, which translates into successful downvotes. So it’s all connected.”
Thune said in June 2023 that Trump’s legal battles could hurt the Republican Party.
“I think if you look at the record, when he was an issue in 2018, 2020, 22, we lost,” Thune said in the 2018 midterm elections, the 2020 presidential election and the 2022 midterm election. mentioned.
Despite this rocky relationship with Trump, his personality and policies, Thune says now: intend “I want to do everything I can to help him get a Republican majority in the Senate and work with him to restore America’s strength at home and abroad.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter at Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
