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Posted on 05/21/2026 9:29:05 AM PDT by SharpRightTurn
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is standing by establishment favorite John Cornyn even after President Donald Trump threw his full support behind Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the explosive Texas Senate runoff showdown.
Thune publicly broke with Trump on Tuesday, telling reporters he would continue backing Cornyn despite the president’s endorsement of Paxton, exposing a growing divide between Senate GOP leadership and the America First movement.
“Cornyn is a principled conservative. He is a very effective senator for the state of Texas,” Thune said following Trump’s endorsement announcement. “None of us can control what the president does. That doesn’t change the way I feel. I will continue to be supportive of Senator Cornyn in his re-election.”
Trump’s endorsement of Paxton immediately sent shockwaves through Washington and transformed the Texas runoff into one of the most important Republican primary battles in the country.
On Truth Social, Trump praised Paxton as a loyal America First fighter while taking a direct shot at Cornyn for failing to stand with him during critical political battles.
“Ken Paxton has been a warrior for Texas values and for our America First agenda,” Trump wrote. Trump added that Cornyn “was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
The clash is shaping up as a defining proxy war between the GOP establishment and the populist movement reshaped by Trump’s political dominance.
Paxton has built his campaign around the argument that Cornyn represents the old Republican establishment that grassroots conservatives no longer trust. The Texas attorney general has positioned himself as a hardline America First candidate focused on border security, election integrity, and confronting federal overreach.
Cornyn allies, meanwhile, are warning that replacing the longtime senator could put the seat at risk in the general election, especially after recent polling suggested Democrat James Talarico could be competitive against either Republican candidate.
The panic inside establishment Republican circles became even more obvious after Sen. Lisa Murkowski blasted Trump’s endorsement and warned Republicans could somehow lose Texas.
“I was supremely disappointed,” Murkowski said. “How does that help strengthen the president’s hand when we lose a state like Texas?”
Despite years of lawfare attacks, impeachment efforts, and legal controversies pushed heavily by the media and political opponents, Paxton remains enormously popular with the Texas conservative base and has continued to dominate among grassroots Republicans.
Trump allies have framed the runoff as a loyalty test for the America First movement and a chance to replace another entrenched establishment Republican with a senator more aligned with Trump’s agenda.
Cornyn, first elected in 2002, has deep ties to Senate leadership, Washington donor networks, and the traditional Republican establishment. But critics on the right increasingly view him as disconnected from the Republican base and insufficiently committed to Trump’s political movement.
Early voting in the Texas runoff is already underway and continues through Friday. Election Day is May 26.
The outcome could help determine whether Senate Republicans move further toward the America First populism driving Trump’s coalition or remain tied to the old guard leadership structure that has increasingly come under fire from conservative voters.
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Remove John Thune from the Senate, he’s certainly asking for it.
Thune feckless fool
RINOs posture as the swing vote as a way to power: ‘You can’t win without us.’ They’ve been backstabbing conservatives since Goldwater, at least.
Hopefully, Democrats are now so crazy that this may no longer be true.
What should Trump say about Thune the day after the November elections?
Thune is NOT MAGA.
Cutting the heads of the swamp hydra off was never going to be easy.
Answer: the same thing he should say about Lisa.
Thune has long been GOPe and Deep State adjacent.
“ What should Trump say about Thune the day after the November elections.”
“You’re next.”
L
But SD voters truly believe that Thune is “conservative.”
Thune attempting to maintain the McConnell / RINO power-bloc fiefdom in the Senate.
With all the power-centers in DC, from the DOJ/FBI, Intel, CDC, State Dept, DOD all trying to build and maintain their power fiefdoms, its a wonder anything ever gets done.
The solution, of course, is money - everybody gets it, to buy the status quo, and to maintain the visage of a functioning republic.
Its why our printed, fiat money monetary system, and $2+ Trillion (and growing) in debt every year is impossible to solve.
“Remove John Thune from the Senate, he’s certainly asking for it.”
I agree. He’s pretty blatant about going his own way.
Thune will get re-elected.
Bet on it.
“Cornyn is a principled conservative”
That statement tells you all you need to know about Thune. Cornyn is not a conservative of any type
“Thune is NOT MAGA.”
He’s making that more and more clear on a daily basis.
Did you bet on Casssidy, Massie, Cornyn and the seven state senators in Indiana?
Too bad, Thune. I voted for Paxton in the runoff.
“Thune has long been GOPe and Deep State adjacent.”
I’ll have to admit I’ve never given a lot of thought or paid much attention to Thune. I just began noticing him when he became Majority Leader. Then realized how much Mitch McConnell seemed to control him. Not a good sign, to say the least.
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