With a pair of announcements this week, former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign now has the endorsement of the entire GOP House leadership, thus marking another step toward an increasingly likely third consecutive nomination.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) issued a statement on Tuesday confirming that he is “proud to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024” and looks forward to “working with President Trump and a Republican House and Senate to fight for those families who are struggling under the weight of Biden’s failed policies.”
The following day, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) emphasized the perceived importance of rallying the party behind Trump ahead of a probable rematch of the 2020 general election.
“Democrats have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep Joe Biden and his failed policies in power,” he wrote. “We cannot let them. It’s time for Republicans to unite behind our party’s clear frontrunner, which is why I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President.”
Emmer’s endorsement came even after the former president took aim at him as an “anti-Trump RINO” — using an acronym for “Republican in name only” — during the intraparty battle to replace ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last year.
Any bad blood appears to be in the past, as evidenced by Trump’s all-caps response to Emmer’s statement: “Thank you Tom, I will never let our country down!”
Both Scalise and Emmer were somewhat late to the party compared to current House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
NEW 🚨
House Speaker Mike Johnson endorses Trump for President.Johnson: “I’m all in for President Trump… we have to make Biden a one term president.” pic.twitter.com/wEfmWAFoHE
— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) November 14, 2023
Stefanik was the first House Republican in a leadership position to offer a Trump endorsement, not even waiting for him to formally enter the race.
“I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024,” she declared in November 2022. “It is time for Republicans to unite around the most popular Republican in America who has a proven track record of conservative governance.”
For good measure, McCarthy also offered his support to Trump prior to his resignation at the end of 2023.
“I believe Donald Trump will win, I believe that Republicans will gain more seats in the House and that Republicans will win the Senate,” he said last month.
