PALM BEACH, Florida — Former President Donald Trump intends to endorse Senate Republican conference chairman Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) to replace Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as the next Senate GOP whip, Breitbart News has learned exclusively.
Trump is expected to make the endorsement soon, perhaps in the coming days. Barrasso was considering a run for Senate Republican leader after the current leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), announced he was stepping down after the election and would not run again. Barrasso instead decided to run for whip, the number two position in Senate GOP leadership. Trump is expected to endorse Barrasso for that job soon, effectively locking it up for him.
Thune and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) are currently both running for the leader position. As of now, they are the only two running for that job. Both endorsed Trump eventually once it became clear Trump would be the Republican nominee for president again this year. But early Trump endorser Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) is said to be possibly open to considering a run for the position after the Senate races conclude this year. Daines is currently the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), leading GOP efforts to retake the U.S. Senate.
Barrasso has always been a leading conservative and has been particularly outspoken on both energy and immigration policy. After Daines endorsed Trump last year, Barrasso was the second member of the current Senate Republican leadership to endorse Trump early this year — before the Iowa caucuses. Barrasso has also been aggressive in campaigning for Trump-backed candidates nationwide such as Kari Lake in Arizona and Bernie Moreno in Ohio.
