U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters alongside U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), on the day of a Senate Steering Committee Lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Senate Majority Leader John Thune isn’t counting on President Donald Trump’s support as he looks toward another term leading Republicans in the upper chamber.
Asked by CBS News whether he expected Trump to back him, Thune laughed.
"Hard to say. I don't know. I mean, I don't bank on it," he said. "But yeah, if he found his way to do that, that'd be great.”
Thune told the network his expectation is that he will seek another term as GOP leader, though he wants to see how the midterm elections play out. He added that the decision is ultimately “going to be up to our colleagues" in the Senate.
Trump declined in August to endorse Thune for another term as leader, CBS News reported. But the two have since appeared to improve their relationship, the network said, though a Republican loss of the Senate could offer a crucial test.
Thune also acknowledged Trump's frustration with the Senate's pace.
"We do things differently, which frustrates people, the president, for example, who wants to get his agenda done quickly," he said. "That's not the nature of the beast in the Senate."
Kyle Kondik, managing editor of the nonpartisan Sabato's Crystal Ball, told CBS that Republicans were “50-50 at best” to hold the Senate. If they lose, he said, he would place blame “more at the feet of the president.”
Kondik cited the political fallout from the Iran war, including a decline in Trump’s approval.
“It's also led to this gas price problem that I think is politically pretty damaging,” he said.
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