While top allies of President-elect Donald Trump have endorsed Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Brit Hume, chief political analyst at Fox News, doesn’t think Trumpworld will secure Scott as leader.
“I think this press from Trump world to support him is likely to backfire,” Hume said Monday on Fox News’s Special Report.
So far, Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO turned Trump megadonor, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a contender for secretary of state, have all come out in support of Scott as the next Senate majority leader. Meanwhile, Trump has remained removed from discussions of who will lead the Senate.
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However, Hume said Scott, a Trump loyalist since 2016, is unlikely to fare well against Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), as the Senate hopes to maintain its own institutional authority without Trump’s influence.
“I actually think Senator Scott’s kind of a longshot,” Hume said. “The reason being that, for example, he was head of the Republican National Senatorial Committee in the ’21-’22 election cycle, raised a ton of money [but] as you may recall, Republicans had a terrible result in those midterm elections.”
A Republican operative who has talked with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance told the Bulwark that Vance is closely following discussions of who should be leading the Senate.
“If JD thought Sen. Scott had this, you would have seen Trump post his support by now,” the operative said.
While Hume said endorsing Scott may “backfire” on Trump allies, the notion of him being the Senate majority leader is influencing Thune and Cornyn to Trump’s benefit.
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After Trump called on Truth Social for the Senate to use recess appointments to fill the executive branch with the president’s nominees, Scott replied in less than ten minutes that he supported it. Two hours later, Thune showed his support, followed by Cornyn.
“Rick has served a real purpose,” a Trump adviser told Bulwark. “Even if he doesn’t win, he’s our favorite backup quarterback,” the adviser said. “But Trump might just decide to back Rick anyway and say ‘F**k it. I’m the leader of this party. I don’t have to worry about Senate leadership making my life hell. They need to worry about me making their life hell.’”