Republican whose speaker bid Trump bragged about killing endorses ex-president: 'Love the humiliation'

03 January 2024

The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson, a Never Trump conservative who is supporting President Joe Biden in the 2024 election, has complained that no matter how badly Donald Trump humiliates GOP leaders, they ultimately "bend the knee" to him. One of the Republicans Trump humiliated badly in 2023 was House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota), but that hasn't stopped Emmer from endorsing frontrunner Trump in his party's presidential primary.

After former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) was ousted as House speaker, Emmer was among the Republicans who was nominated for that position. Ultimately, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) was confirmed as speaker, but not until after the unsuccessful bids of Emmer and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

When Emmer was nominated on October 24, Trump angrily railed against him on his social media platform Truth Social. The former president slammed Emmer as a "Globalist RINO" who was "totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters." And Trump, according to Politico, called someone "close to him" and said of Emmer — who dropped out of the race — "He's done. It's over. I killed him."

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But on Wednesday, January 3, Emmer announced his endorsement of Trump on X, formerly Twitter.

The Minnesota congressman tweeted, "Democrats have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep Joe Biden and his failed policies in power. 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."

The Hill's Emily Brooks notes that "Emmer's endorsement means that all of the top five members of House GOP leadership — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson (R-NC) — have endorsed the former president in the 2024 GOP primary."

Brooks reports, "Emmer had previously indicated in an interview with The Hill last year that he might not endorse a candidate in the primary. But after Scalise endorsed Emmer on Tuesday,(January 2), Emmer was the lone member of House GOP leadership who had not voiced support for Trump, which some political operatives and commentators had noted. Trump and Emmer have far from a cozy relationship."

Emmer's endorsement of Trump is receiving a lot of reactions on X.

The Bulwark's Joe Perticone tweeted, "Trump deliberately tanked Emmer's speaker bid. 'I killed him,' was the leaked quote. So many of these guys love the humiliation."

Wilson, tweeting Brooks' article for The Hill, wrote, "Remember when you were on those anti-Trump calls in 2016, Tom?"

Pundit Doug Keegan tweeted, "BREAKING: Man claiming to be 'working to balance the budget and rein in government spending' endorses candidate that signed every omnibus and the CARES Act, adding $8 trillion to the national debt in four years."

Another pundit, Cindy L. Arnevik, wrote, "Ok MN. He did the right thing in 2021. But can you count on him to do it again in 2025? I don’t think so. Time to find a new candidate

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