With fewer than two weeks until the Iowa caucuses, former President Donald Trump has locked up endorsements from the top five Republicans in the U.S. House — even those he's previously worked against.
On Wednesday morning, House GOP Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) threw his support behind Trump — joining the rest of the House's Republican leadership slate in endorsing the 45th president.
"Democrats have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep Joe Biden and his failed policies in power," Emmer said in a statement on Wednesday. "We cannot let them. It's time for Republicans to unite behind our party's clear frontrunner, which is why I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President," he announced.
👀 The top 5 Rs in House GOP leadership have now endorsed Trump for president.
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 3, 2024
Emmer, the majority whip, endorses DJT a day after Scalise. (Though, this also comes after Trump hurt/helped derail Emmer’s bid for speaker during the speakership race last year) https://t.co/7cd0Uokf3A
When Emmer launched a short-lived bid for the speakership following Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-FL) ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Trump was outspoken in opposition. The former president called him a "Globalist RINO," said he "never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement or the breadth and scope of MAGA" and called him "totally out-of-touch" with Republican voters. For Emmer to become speaker, Trump added, "would be a tragic mistake." Clearly, the two have mended fences since then.
Emmer's endorsement follows Tuesday's Trump endorsement from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA). "In this race, there is one man who has a proven track record of being able to save our country and get us back on track: Donald Trump," said Scalise in a statement reported by Fox News Digital. "He has done it once before, and I know he will do it again."
I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024, and I look forward to working with President Trump and a Republican House and Senate to fight for those families who are struggling under the weight of Biden’s failed policies.https://t.co/FTmUcORccr
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScaliseGOP) January 2, 2024
In November, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) endorsed Trump saying he was "all in" on the former president. "I expect he'll be our nominee, and he's going to win it," Johnson said America has to make Joe Biden "a one-term president."
A year earlier — before Trump had officially announced the launch of his 2024 campaign — House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik became the first and highest-ranking member of the House at the time to endorse Trump in November 2022 just after the midterm elections. "I fully support him running again," Stefanik said at the time. "Under his presidency, America was strong at home and abroad, our economy was red hot, our border was secure, our neighborhoods were safe, our law enforcement was respected, and our enemies feared us."
House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Gary Palmer (R-AL) — along with the rest of Alabama's Republican House members — endorsed Trump in August.