‘Will of the people’: Musk adds his voice to Senate GOP leadership contest
Washington: Elon Musk has sought to influence the battle to replace Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, using his newfound clout in Donald Trump’s orbit to try to install a MAGA loyalist to the job.
Ahead of McConnell’s long-awaited retirement when the new US Congress begins in January, Republicans are set to choose a new Senate leader on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) from three contenders: South Dakota senator John Thune, Texas senator John Cornyn and Florida senator Rick Scott.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (centre) joined by Senator John Thune (left) and majority whip John Cornyn at a news conference at the Capitol in 2017.Credit: J Scott Applewhite
Trump has yet to publicly declare his preference, as backing a candidate who could end up losing would be an embarrassment for the president-elect. The wait comes as the House of Representatives is projected to remain in Republican hands, giving Trump’s party control of both houses of Congress.
Musk, who spent tens of millions of dollars to help elect Trump, put his weight behind Scott, endorsing the Florida Republican and declaring that the next majority leader “must respond to the will of the people” to implement Trump’s agenda.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson also wrote on X that Scott was the “only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump”, while former Democrat-turned-Trump acolyte Robert F. Kennedy, Jr said the “entire Trump reform agenda” would be “wobbly” if Scott wasn’t elected.
Scott is seen as the darling of the MAGA world, whereas Thune and Cornyn are viewed more as “establishment” Republicans who, in the past, have been critical of Trump.
Elon Musk on stage with Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on October 5.Credit: AP
“Two of the three candidates hate Trump and what he ran on. One of them, John Cornyn, is an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney’s,” Carlson wrote on X, referencing the former congresswoman who become one of Trump’s most outspoken GOP critics. “Call your senator and demand a public endorsement of Rick Scott.”
But the public pressure campaign could backfire among senators, who generally don’t like being told what to do, and whose vote on Wednesday will be conducted as a secret ballot.
What’s more, most Republicans getting a vote don’t have to run for re-election until 2028, and some won’t again at all, meaning they couldn’t be punished for their vote even if it was made public.
A similar right-wing pressure campaign backfired this year in the House of Representatives when Trump’s allies favoured Ohio Republican Jim Jordan to become the Speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted.
Senator Rick Scott of Florida speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention.Credit: AP
This ended up emboldening some members to block Jordan – in what was a public ballot – resulting in Mike Johnson emerging as the dark horse who ended up getting the gavel.
McConnell’s departure will mark the end of an era for the 82-year-old Republican stalwart, who has led his party in the Senate for 17 years – more than any other leader in GOP history.
His resignation comes after he twice froze up while making remarks in public, raising questions about his ability to continue to carry out the duties of his high-powered job.
Whoever becomes the new leader will wield significant power come January after Republicans wrested back control of the Senate from Democrats at last week’s election.
The Republican Party will control both houses of Congress when Trump takes office in January, Decision Desk HQ projected on Monday (US time).
This will enable Trump to push an agenda of slashing taxes and shrinking the federal government.
On the domestic front, Trump is set to appoint his former immigration advisor Stephen Miller – the architect of the plan for mass deportations – as deputy chief of staff for policy.
Trump has selected Republican senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources told Reuters. This puts the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve in America’s top diplomatic role.
The president-elect has also named former Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief Tom Homan as his “border tsar”, saying he would be “in charge of all deportation of illegal aliens back to their country of origin”.
New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a former moderate Republican who has shape-shifted into a hardcore MAGA loyalist over the past few years, has been nominated as the new US ambassador to the United Nations – a role that former presidential rival Nikki Haley held in the first Trump administration.
As the House Republican conference chair, Stefanik is the highest-ranking woman in Congress and has become one of the most outspoken supporters of Israel, garnering national attention as she led congressional hearings about university presidents’ handling of protests on college campuses.
Elise Stefanik speaking during the Republican National Convention in July 2024.Credit: AP
“She will be an incredible ambassador to the United Nations, delivering Peace through Strength and America First National Security policies!” Trump said in a statement.
Fellow New Yorker Lee Zeldin, a former GOP congressman, has been tapped to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
“He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,” Trump in a statement.
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