Advisers to Donald Trump and Sen. Mitch McConnell are reportedly in talks over the Senate minority leader giving an endorsement of the former president.
The discussions are taking place as Trump continues to pick up support in the upper chamber, with the No. 2 Senate Republican, John Thune, endorsing him after his decisive win in the South Carolina primary over the weekend.
Two sources familiar with the situation told The Hill that top lieutenants for the two GOP behemoths — Chris LaCivita, Trump’s campaign manager; and Josh Holmes, McConnell’s longtime top political hand — have held discussions in recent weeks about possibly thawing the freeze in their relationship and paving the way for McConnell to back Trump. “We’ve reached the part of the primary where the party is coming together,” one source familiar with the discussions said.
“The absolute worst thing that can happen to this country is electing Joe Biden for four more years, and you can expect to coalesce around that point over the next nine months,” the source continued. […]
A McConnell endorsement would be the culmination of a roller coaster relationship, which has been nonexistent dating to Trump’s 2020 reelection loss. The longtime Senate GOP leader laid the blame at Trump’s feet for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and the loss of two Georgia Senate seats the night before.
However, Trump and McConnell have one area where they are aligned heading into November: winning back the Senate majority. (The Hill)
More than two-thirds of Senate Republicans have already backed the former president, including McConnell allies like Thune, who said it was "clear" Trump would become the GOP nominee.
“I support former President Trump’s campaign to win the presidency, and I intend to do everything I can to see that he has a Republican majority in the Senate working with him to restore American strength at home and abroad,” Thune said.
“Together we must put an end to the disastrous Biden-Schumer agenda,” he added. “Our country cannot endure another four years of Bidenomics, continued lawlessness at our southern border, and American weakness on the global stage.”
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