Republican senators are pushing back against President-elect Donald Trump and his base of MAGA supporters as they try to ram a potential party leader down their proverbial throats, according to a new report.
Mounting calls for Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) to become next majority leader has infuriated several GOP senators who do not want to consider conservative pundits' demands when choosing a candidate to support, Punchbowl News reported Monday.
“I really don’t much care what Tucker Carlson thinks," one GOP senator, who asked not to be named, said. "They’re trying to bully us. That’s not how these elections work.”
Scott is considered an underdog in the race to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell next to favorites Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
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That hasn't stopped Carlson, Charlie Kirk and Elon Musk from throwing their support behind Scott, according to the report.
The senator told Punchbowl they felt such calls represented an effort to intimidate Republicans in the months before Trump returns to the White House.
And several Republican senators and aides have been complaining in private about outside efforts to influence an internal decision, according to the report.
What remains to be seen is how Trump himself will respond — although he's already influenced the race, the report states.
"Speculation over whether Trump is going to endorse in the Senate GOP leadership race — and efforts to persuade him to do so — is already having a big impact on the contest," Punchbowl News reported.
"Trump is testing whether Senate Republicans will defend the chamber’s independence as an institution or bow toward his victory and his agenda."
