Senate Republicans, who last week voted in favor of advancing aid to Ukraine, are accepting significant input from allies of former President Trump. After ignoring Trump’s calls to oppose the aid package, they have publicly denounced it and threatened to challenge it in the primary.
Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son, is leading the charge against 22 Republicans who supported the national security supplement, many of them including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) ally of the state).
He urged West Virginia primary voters to challenge Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and the son of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-Va.). They called for the rejection of a certain Moore Capito’s gubernatorial bid.
In another example, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-Texas), a key supporter of President Trump, took aim at Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of McConnell’s leading allies. and wrote on social media: [Cornyn] Other countries will stay up all night to protect their borders, but not America. ”
While some believe the threat, especially to Governor Capito, was a mild blow, the dissatisfaction with President Trump’s line is clear and exposes the rift between the Trump administration and Republican leadership.
“The last month has exposed the problems with Republican leadership that has no connection to the Republican presidential nominee,” said one Senate Republican aide. “This further highlights the disconnect between Republican lawmakers, primarily in Washington, D.C., compared to their constituent areas.”
The security bill includes $60 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine and $14 billion to Israel, as well as funding for the Indo-Pacific region and humanitarian purposes.
In addition to Mr. Ernst and Mr. Capito’s comments, Trump Jr. also criticized Mr. Cornyn and Senate Minority Whip John Thune (RS.D.), two of the leading candidates to eventually replace Mr. McConnell, over the Ukraine support vote. .) was also targeted.
But whether this thorn will have much impact is an open question, Republican strategists and aides say.
They quickly realize that whether or not they benefit from a former president is always a fluid situation, for better or worse, and can change at a moment’s notice.
“Once you’re in Trumpworld, your memory is short,” said a Senate Republican aide.
They also cited the closed nature of the Senate, with leadership races and votes on various bills, including aid to Ukraine, rarely decided from outside the chamber.
“The Senate is notoriously vulnerable to outside pressure, and the more pressure the Senate exerts, the less likely it is to get what it wants. In that respect, the U.S. Senate is very similar to former President Trump. one Republican operative told The Hill. “Outside games never work in the Senate.”
Despite Trump’s power and influence among the Republican base, there are limits to his voice.
For example, after Mr. Trump and his allies said the 2020 electoral vote would drop like a “shot dog,” the 2022 election cycle for a challenger to Mr. Thune became vacant.
The second-ranking Republican in the Senate ultimately won reelection by a 43-point margin, which was greater than the margin of victory won that year by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), a powerful Trump ally. It was also big.
Nevertheless, Republicans, led by Mr. Ernst, are keeping an eye on the threat.
Trump Jr. also brought forward Matthew Whitaker, a prominent Trump ally who briefly served as acting attorney general before William Barr took over the post, as a challenger.
Republicans say a single vote, especially aid to Ukraine, likely won’t be enough to oust a lawmaker, but it could be a piece of the puzzle.
“One individual vote rarely ends a senator’s career, but the question is what happens when it’s tied to a broader theme,” said another Republican operative. “for [Ernst]If within the range of [Trump] Now Inner Circle, this is the woman who was with Nikki Haley the night before the incident [Iowa caucuses], and she’s doing this. And does she support him? That’s the big picture inside Trumpworld. ”
Despite appearing with Haley, Ernst remained publicly neutral throughout the caucus and has since declined to make any major endorsements.
Half of the Senate’s Republican leadership has supported Trump so far, including Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who endorsed him early in Iowa, and Steve Trump, who endorsed him early last year. That includes Sen. Daines (R-Mont.). Senator Capito endorsed the former president in late January.
As for Trump, he doesn’t add his two cents to what his eldest son said. In his social media posts, he repeatedly called on lawmakers to oppose the security spending package, which he said targeted NATO countries that were not meeting their obligations. Some of his supporters have followed suit and called for the money to be given as loans rather than grants.
The fight over Ukraine funds flared up again on Friday, following the death of Russian opposition leader and President Vladimir Putin’s arch-enemy Alexei Navalny in a Russian penal colony, and the transfer of aid to Kiev. Further questions arise about the possibility.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) does not plan to send the bill being considered in the House to the Senate, instead allowing a bipartisan group of lawmakers to craft smaller, more targeted legislation. , said it may be considered.
However, in a statement following Navalny’s death, Navalny said that while Congress was “debating the best path forward to assist Ukraine,” the United States and its partners were “defending President Putin.” We must use every means possible to cut off the United States’ ability to finance unprovoked wars.” ”
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