Senior GOP Senator Secretly Refusing to Bend the Knee to Trump

Senator John Thune, the chamber’s incoming majority leader, is reportedly working behind the scenes on a plan to block some of Donald Trump’s controversial Cabinet nominees.

During an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Wednesday, MSNBC contributor Katty Kay said that after attending an event where she spoke to a swath of Republican senators, her understanding was that Thune intends to “protect” some of his fellow Republicans while still opposing Trump’s more preposterous picks, such as Fox & Friends host Pete Hegseth and former Democratic representative turned MAGA acolyte Tulsi Gabbard.

“He can’t have all the same senators go out and say ‘no’ against all of the picks. And so he’s coming up with some kind of rotation scheme,” Kay explained. “Maybe it’s Thom Tillis votes against one of them, maybe if Joni Ernst votes against one of them—maybe somebody else votes against one of them, the thinking is that they could probably get rid of four, and that includes Matt Gaetz.”

For his part, Thune seems to have avoided ever becoming a full Trump sycophant. When the Access Hollywood tape came out in 2016, Thune called on Trump to withdraw his candidacy in favor of Mike Pence. Thune wasn’t the majority leader Trump wanted, but he was the one he got. Now, he may prevent Trump from getting his way, again.

However, MAGA activists have been quick to execute online pressure campaigns against any Republican senators who don’t comply with Trump’s demands for swift confirmations—recently targeting Iowa Senator Joni Ernst after she seemed reluctant to support Hegseth.