By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As President-elect Donald Trump seeks to consolidate his grip on the levers of power in Washington before returning to office next year, his supporters are pushing to shake up the normally clubby Republican leadership rituals of the U.S. Senate.
Trump backers ranging from Elon Musk to conservative commentators Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson are leading a loud public campaign for the chamber's new Republican majority to elect Trump loyalist Rick Scott rather than institutionalists John Thune or John Cornyn when Republicans meet in a closed-door session on Wednesday.
The drive is a test of the Senate's independence, as Trump has already called on the next Republican leader to give him leeway to bypass the normal system of hearings and votes to approve Cabinet nominees. Thune, Cornyn and Scott all quickly signaled their openness to the idea.
Republicans are on track to have a Senate majority of at least 52-48, with a Pennsylvania race not yet called. They also appear poised to retain a majority in the House of Representatives, which would give Trump great leeway in governing.
"Rick Scott clearly has been very loyal to Donald Trump ... I certainly think that Rick Scott would do an amazing job," Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump, the president-elect's daughter-in-law, told conservative political commentator Benny Johnson this week.
"Rick Scott is not only immensely qualified but he's a mover and shaker, and I think would be the strongest support for President Trump's agenda," Fox News commentator Sean Hannity posted to his 6.8 million followers on X.
Multiple Senate Republicans have pushed back against the idea of simply voting to back Scott because of public pressure. The job of majority leader, they said, requires someone who has spent time in building trust and support within the caucus.
"It's about relationships inside the Senate. The Senate is a small body," said Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Thune ally. "It's not hard to build that many relationships. That's the way it should be. It's all about building relationships."
Thune, who is currently Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's top lieutenant, and Cornyn, who held the same job earlier, are veteran legislators who have helped usher major legislation through Congress and aided the campaigns of fellow Senate incumbents and other Republican candidates.
But, like McConnell himself, they have run afoul of some of Trump's leading allies and advisers, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who view Scott as the most likely candidate to push the Trump agenda through the Senate over the objections of Democrats.
Scott, a former Florida governor, is still serving his first six-year term in the Senate.
SECRET BALLOT
Mullin pointed to a dynamic that may allow some senators to buck the public pressure: "It's also a closed, private ballot that will never be made public."
Some of Scott's backers say he will need a Trump endorsement to succeed in Wednesday's secret ballot. In 2022, Scott tried to take the leader's job from McConnell but lost in a 10-37 vote despite Trump's backing.
A similar public pressure campaign in October 2023 by Trump supporters to install hardline Republican Representative Jim Jordan as House speaker failed when the caucus retreated behind closed doors to unify behind a candidate before voting in public on a speaker.
Republicans in the end elected Speaker Mike Johnson to lead them in the House. Johnson is expected to be easily reelected so long as his party retains the majority.
McConnell -- the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, holding the top role since 2007 -- plans to step down from leadership when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3.
McConnell played a critical role in securing many of Trump's first-term accomplishments, including passing tax cuts and approving three Supreme Court justices. But he also pushed back against Trump at times, including rebuffing his calls to eliminate the chamber's "filibuster" rule, which requires 60 of the 100 senators to agree on most legislation, and faulted Trump for his conduct leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol before endorsing him for reelection in 2024.
Senator Josh Hawley, another party hardliner, said he planned to vote for Cornyn.
"Nobody has done more to win back the majority than he has. He tirelessly raised millions of dollars for competitive Senate races, including mine," said Hawley. "I know he will work closely and effectively with President Trump to deliver on the promise of our new majority."
Spokespeople for Scott and Cornyn declined to comment for this story. A Thune spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump's allies say his election sweep on Nov. 5 amounts to a public mandate for his proposals to extend tax cuts for businesses and corporations, eliminate taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits, impose tariffs on imported goods and deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
Independent (LON:IOG) analysts warn that the Trump agenda could add upwards of $8 trillion to a U.S. debt burden that currently stands at nearly $36 trillion.