John Thune, a 'Tariff Critic,' Becomes GOP Senate Whip... Potential Conflict with Trump?

Veteran Politician with 28 Years in Congress
Criticizes Trump's Tariff Hikes... Supports Ukraine Aid
Tune Tells Colleagues "Won't Clash with Trump"
Bloomberg Warns "Risk of Early Rift in New Administration"

The U.S. Republican Party has elected veteran politician Senator John Thune (South Dakota), who has served for 28 years in both the House and Senate, as the next Senate Majority Leader. Thune is known for advocating free trade and supporting aid to Ukraine alongside the Democrats. However, there are concerns that he could face potential conflicts with the new administration after President-elect Trump, who has signaled intentions to raise tariffs on imports and halt aid to Ukraine, takes office.

On the 13th (local time), the Republican Party elected Thune as the new Senate Majority Leader. Thune served three terms as a U.S. Representative from 1997 to 2003 and has been elected to the Senate four consecutive times since 2004.

Three candidates ran for the Republican Senate Majority Leader position: Senators Rick Scott (Florida), John Cornyn (Texas), and John Thune. In the first round of voting, Scott, classified as a 'pro-Trump' candidate, was eliminated early. Scott had risen as a close ally of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who supports Trump’s second-term administration and had been appointed head of the Office of Efficiency in Government. In the second round, Thune won with 29 votes, defeating Cornyn, who received 24 votes.

Thune is a close ally of former Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who distanced himself from Trump after the latter attempted to overturn the 2020 election results. However, during the recent leadership campaign, Thune has worked to restore relations by promising cooperation with President-elect Trump. Trump did not endorse any candidate in this election. Elon Musk, who supported Scott, posted a brief congratulatory message to Thune on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) following the announcement.

Some express concerns that Thune’s criticism of Trump’s anti-free trade stance and tariff policies could lead to future conflicts between the two. In August, Thune warned that Trump’s proposed universal tariffs of 10-20% on all imports and 60% tariffs on Chinese goods could be a cause of global inflation. In early 2018, when Trump threatened to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Thune called it a "disaster," and in March of the same year, he criticized the imposition of heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminum as harmful to the U.S. economy. Although the U.S. president has significant discretion to impose tariffs without congressional approval, if Trump pushes for tariff increases, it could cause considerable friction with Republican leadership. Thune has also been a strong supporter of aid to Ukraine, which contrasts sharply with Trump’s position of ending the war within 24 hours after taking office.

Bloomberg News noted, "Thune’s long-standing support for free trade could become the biggest point of conflict between Republican leadership and President-elect Trump," adding, "If Thune and Trump publicly clash early in the administration, it risks creating a rift in the party at a critical time."

However, Thune reportedly told fellow senators in a private meeting the day before that he intends to cooperate with the new administration on issues such as aid to Ukraine, which Trump opposes, without causing conflict. Upon his election as the new Majority Leader, he said, "I am very honored" and expressed plans to actively promote President-elect Trump’s priority policies.