Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
Having hundreds of billions of dollars may be enough to purchase a social media company and land an all-access pass to the president-elect’s inner circle, but the US Senate still does what the Senate wants.
Florida Senator Rick Scott was Elon Musk’s endorsed candidate for Republican Senate majority leader – and, by implication, Donald Trump’s preference. But in secret ballot voting, the Republicans in the chamber quickly opted for a more traditional pick, South Dakota Senator John Thune.
Thune had served as the second-ranking Senate Republican for four years – plenty of time to win over his conservative colleagues in what is, essentially, a popularity contest. Scott, on the other hand, was more of a firebrand – who promised the kind of confrontational conservativism that is more typical in the House of Representatives.
In the end, the Senate – typically regarded as the more genteel congressional body – opted for the smooth-talking South Dakotan.
It represents a bit of a setback for Trump and his team, who likely would have preferred a more aggressive partisan in the top spot, ready to discard Senate traditions and procedures to advance his agenda. The more vocal of Trump’s Maga faithful are sure to complain.
Thune, however, is an talented legislative operator. Like his predecessor, Mitch McConnell, he may move slowly but he knows the levers to pull in the Senate to get results.
Swiss
