Who is John Thune, From Donald Trump critic to next Senate majority leader?

Republicans have elected Senator John Thune of South Dakota as the next Senate majority leader, paving the way for the top deputy of Mitch McConnell to take over the key position as President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House next year.

The race to replace Mitch McConnell, who is stepping down after 18 years as the Republican leader, has been intense. Thune, 63, a longtime deputy to McConnell, was seen as a likely successor. But his path to the role was not uncontested. Florida Senator Rick Scott, considered closer to Trump, received support from Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk, and Tucker Carlson. However, these endorsements backfired, with Senate Republicans rejecting the outsiders attempt to influence the leadership decisions.

On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said that he is looking forward to working with Thune. “He moves quickly and will do an outstanding job," he said.

WHO IS JOHN THUNE?

Senator John Thune has been in Congress for nearly three decades. He was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 1996.

Thune was born and raised in South Dakota. He earned a bachelor's degree in business from Biola University in California and a master’s in business administration from the University of South Dakota.

He started his political career in Washington in the 1980s, working for former Senator Jim Abdnor of South Dakota, and later joined the Small Business Administration under then President Ronald Reagan.

JOHN THUNE'S HISTORY WITH TRUMP

Thune’s relationship with Trump has been strained since Trump entered US politics.

In 2016, after the release of the Access Hollywood tape showing Donald Trump boasting about groping women, Thune urged Trump to drop out of the presidential race but later said he would still vote for him. In December 2020, Trump attacked Thune for refusing to support his efforts to overturn the US election, calling him a "RINO" (Republican in name only). Thune slammed Trump’s actions around the January 6 Capitol riot as "inexcusable" but voted against impeachment.

Thune has also voiced opposition to some of Trump’s policies. In August, he described Trump’s tariffs as likely to increase inflation, according to the South Dakota Searchlight.

Despite these criticisms, Thune has made efforts to mend his ties with Trump. He visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in March and has since had several conversations with him, CNN reported.