**Musk-backed Scott Eliminated**
**‘Trump Deterrence’ Acting within Party**
**Republicans Secure Majority in House of Representatives**
The Republican Party in the United States solidified its position as the majority party in the House of Representatives on the 13th (local time), following victories in the presidency and Senate, making it possible for President-elect Donald Trump to push forward with his robust policies. However, the congressional election of John Thune (63, South Dakota, pictured), a non-Trump figure criticized by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, as the Republican Senate majority leader might pose challenges to some of his policy initiatives.
According to American media such as ABC, CBS, and NBC, despite ongoing vote counts in some districts, the Republicans secured the majority by holding 218 out of 435 seats in the House of Representatives elections. With President-elect Trump reclaiming the White House and the control over both the Senate and House, the Republicans have formed what is called a ‘unified government.’ When the Congress dominated by Republicans opens on January 3rd and President-elect Trump is inaugurated on January 20th, he will have a strong power base. It is expected that Trump will be able to implement key pledges such as tax cuts, the construction of a border wall, mass deportations of illegal immigrants, and a major overhaul of the healthcare reform law (commonly known as Obamacare) with comprehensive cooperation from Congress.
However, in the Republican Senate, Thune was elected as the new majority leader, defeating Rick Scott (Florida) and John Cornyn (Texas), who were also candidates. In the first round of secret voting, pro-Trump candidate Scott was eliminated, and in the second round, Thune won 29 votes, against Cornyn’s 24, to become the majority leader. Although Thune initially opposed President-elect Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, he promised close collaboration with Trump during the majority leader campaign. Nonetheless, American media interpreted the Republican Senate’s choice of Thune over Scott as an indication of the need for a certain degree of independence and to distance themselves from Trump’s unilateral influence.
In response to Thune’s election, President-elect Trump congratulated him on Truth Social, stating, “He will move quickly and do an excellent job. I look forward to working with Senate Majority Leader John Barrasso, Senator Tom Cotton, and Senator Shelley Moore Capito to make America great again.”