President-elect Donald Trump’s landslide victory in the 2024 election has given his MAGA supporters eight straight days of euphoria.
In a secret-ballot vote conducted Wednesday, however, Republicans in the U.S. Senate chose notorious Trump-hating Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as the next Senate majority leader, thereby delivering a salutary reminder of their disdain for the American voter and prompting a backlash from Trump supporters on the social media platform X.
“We don’t want you. We don’t like you. Best piece of advice, DON’T STAND IN OUR WAY,” prominent Trump supporter Gunther Eagleman tweeted in reply to Thune’s victory.
We don’t want you.
We don’t like you.
Best piece of advice, DON’T STAND IN OUR WAY.
Either you’re with Trump or you’re not.
Choose wisely. We are watching closely Thune.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) November 13, 2024
In announcing his election as majority leader, Thune characterized Republicans as “united behind President Trump’s agenda.”
We shall see.
Honored to serve as the next U.S. Senate majority leader. pic.twitter.com/zq9XLrPDUr
— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) November 13, 2024
Eagleman, who has more than one million followers on X, was hardly the only prominent Trump supporter to voice disgust at the election’s result, its process and what it revealed about how deep the deep state’s hatred of voters actually runs.
For one thing, Trump supporters generally regard Thune as aligned with Trump-hating Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. McConnell had served as Senate GOP leader since his election to that post in 2006.
“McConnell 2.0,” Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida tweeted in response to Thune’s election.
McConnell 2.0 https://t.co/3KLoQoX2Wr
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) November 13, 2024
In recent days, MAGA influencers on X had pinned their hopes on Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.
Moreover, many had complained about the secret ballot, a mechanism designed to insulate senators from the will of the people.
Rick Scott should be majority leader but instead you got elected over a secret ballot
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) November 13, 2024
Secret votes by Senators who are funded by the taxpayers should be illegal.
They do this to hide their decisions from us voters.
This is the opposite of ‘Democracy.’
It must be abolished.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 13, 2024
Meanwhile, Thune’s election prompted a fresh round of reminders that the new majority leader hates Trump, loves throwing money at the Ukraine war boondoggle and too often votes with Democrats.
In other words, Thune qualifies as a poster boy for the deep-state-loving Republican establishment.
Can you speak to this pic.twitter.com/PA3TtMtJna
— Fletch17 (@17ThankQ) November 13, 2024
We do not like Thune
We do not trust Thune
We are frankly ashamed of Thune
May he prove us all wrong pic.twitter.com/6tMXz2xEL5
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) November 13, 2024
Absolutely insane that John Thune comes from a deep red state yet Only votes conservative 62% of the time
Hems more of an independent than a Republican
This is why we have the term RINO https://t.co/zs52jrKDbX
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) November 13, 2024
Catturd, a prominent and hilarious Trump-supporting account with more than 3.1 million followers, took a simple lesson from Thune’s election.
“These skunks hate you,” Catturd tweeted.
Trump won a historic landslide and a national mandate so naturally our Republican Senate elects one of the biggest Trump haters on planet earth as Majority leader @johnthune
These skunks hate you.
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) November 13, 2024
Indeed, the afterglow from Trump’s victory has barely diminished, but MAGA appears determined to target establishment senators with primary challengers.
We need Patriots ready to step up and primary every single Senator that voted for John Thune and John Cornyn
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) November 13, 2024
Republicans in Congress electing John Thune over Rick Scott is proof they don’t care about the will of the people ️
WILL ATTEMPT TO PRIMARY ALL OF THE SELLOUTS OVER THE NEXT 6 YEARS
WE WON’T FORGET!!!
— Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) November 13, 2024
Curiously, Trump has not publicly objected to Thune’s election. Nor did he make any obvious effort to influence the race for majority leader.
In fact, on Wednesday afternoon the president-elect congratulated the new majority leader.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 13, 2024
Meanwhile, Trump has focused on filling out his administration with brilliant superstars poised to bring revolutionary change.
Thus, while MAGA has every right to bristle at the giant middle finger it just received from Senate Republicans, we should view our elected legislators’ disdain for us as a healthy reminder of the difficult task ahead and not — at least not yet — as a definitive impediment to Trump’s plans.
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