Tech billionaire Elon Musk threw his weight behind Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s bid for Senate majority leader Sunday, adding a MAGA twist to what’s shaping up as a three-way battle for the Republican Party’s most powerful congressional post.
“Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader!” declared Musk, who’s emerged as a key Trump ally in recent months.
But the endorsement may not move many votes in Wednesday’s secret ballot contest.
Scott, Florida’s wealthy former healthcare executive, trails frontrunners, Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and John Cornyn of Texas in the race that will determine who succeeds Sen. Mitch McConnell as GOP leader.
Most sources expect Scott to win no more than low double-digit votes, despite positioning himself as the MAGA choice and courting grassroots leaders.
President-elect Donald Trump, who could reshape the race with an endorsement, has remained largely silent.
His own advisers, including Senator Markwayne Mullin, are urging him to stay neutral given he’ll need to work with whoever wins.
But Trump did make one requirement known on Sunday.
Trump posted on social media that the next GOP leader must agree to “recess appointments” while in control of the U.S. Senate to make sure open federal positions are quickly filled with conservative leaders —
Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner. Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2024
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Republicans will control at least 53 Senate seats, with Arizona still uncalled.
The winner must work with Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson to advance Republican priorities like illegal immigration control, battling inflation, reducing the deficit, and stopping wars around the globe.
Scott embraced Trump’s demand Sunday that the next leader must allow temporary presidential appointments during Senate recesses.
“We can’t keep doing what we’re doing,” Scott told Fox News. “That’s what Donald Trump got elected to do, to be the change.”
Thune and Cornyn quickly followed suit, both pledging support for Trump’s appointment powers. They’ve spent months repairing relations with MAGA world after past criticisms of Trump.
The contest largely comes down to personal relationships, with many senators still undecided before Wednesday’s closed-door vote.
But as one Senate staffer noted: “The secret ballot nature of this vote limits the influence of any outside pressure campaign” — even from Trump himself.