Politics
Sen. John Thune: Point Man for Trump Agenda
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New Senate majority leader tells Newsmax he and the president will work together. BY JOHN GIZZI
any say speaker mike Johnson has the tough- est job in Washington, managing a wafer-thin
Republican majority in the U.S. House. But over in the U.S. Senate, new
Majority Leader John Thune is a close contender for the title. The South Dakota lawmaker took
over from Mitch McConnell as GOP leader in December after a hard-fought race against two of his colleagues. Now, Thune must quarterback President Donald Trump’s agenda with a 53-47 seat majority, but in a chamber where GOP defections are always a possibility. Herding Cats, the title of a memoir
by another Republican Senate lead- er, Trent Lott of Mississippi, comes to mind. Like Lott two decades ago, Thune
faces a threat from a handful of less- than-conservative GOP senators thwarting the agenda favored by the lion’s share of the Senate Republican Conference, who are staunch allies of Trump. The gentleman from the Mount Rushmore State is not discouraged. “I think a lot of it is creating lines of
communication,” Thune told Newsmax in a recent inter- view. “You have to get people talking, and sometimes talk- ing is the best remedy.” Clearly, this is not a “mas-
ter of the Senate” in the mold of the all-powerful Lyndon Johnson — or even McCon- nell, who mastered the art of favors and punishment to stay leader for a record 18 years. Rather Thune, a high
JOHN THUNE, 64 Wife: Kimberley, married in 1984 Children: Two daughters, five grandchildren Elected: U.S. Senate, South Dakota, 2005
U.S. House, 1997 Educated: University of South Dakota Faith: Evangelical Christian Hobbies: Pheasant hunting and running.
In 2009, Runner’s Magazine called him “the fastest man in Congress.”
school star athlete, is more a coach who wants to put all of his play- ers in the game. “The key is to make sure we’re all
rolling in the same direction. “We’ve got a diverse group of peo-
ple. We’re very independent — unlike the Democrats, who are very hierarchi- cal. They operate as a herd. That’s how it is. It’s the structure and the nature of our party.” Thune and the president have not
always been on the same page. Animosity between them arose on
Jan. 6, 2021. Thune denounced the president for supporting what he called “thuggery” when pro-Trump marchers stormed the Capitol, and called Trump’s involvement with the
Although many of Trump’s MAGA allies endorsed Florida Sen. Rick Scott for the job, this was always an insider’s race — in which, as McConnell correctly pointed out, “you are not influenced by outsiders but by the people you work with every day.”
42 NEWSMAX | MARCH 2025
protest “inexcusable.” Trump hit back, branding the
senator “RINO John Thune” and “Mitch’s boy.” As president-elect, Trump wisely
kept out of the race in December for McConnell’s successor as leader. Although many of his MAGA allies
endorsed Florida Sen. Rick Scott for the job, this was always an insider’s race — in which, as McConnell cor- rectly pointed out, “you are not influ- enced by outsiders but by the people you work with every day.” Thune as whip was his party’s
top nose-counter in the Senate, and topped Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Scott on the first ballot. With Scott eliminated, Thune beat Cornyn on the second ballot, 29-24. Whatever their past differences,
Trump and Thune have patched things up enough to work together toward putting the ideas of the 47th president into legislation that will pass the Senate. “There is always a little tension between presidents and Senate lead-
©NEWSMAX
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