Former President Donald Trump endorsed Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) to be the whip for the Senate GOP conference.
“He is running to be the next Republican Whip for the Senate Republican Conference, a very important job, to ensure we pass and enact Strong Legislation that puts America First. I know John very well—he will never let you down,” he continued.
“John Barrasso has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Mr. Barrasso, who has been in the Senate since 2007, is currently the chairman of the Senate GOP conference.
Mr. Barrasso is the only candidate so far for Senate GOP whip, a position where a tally is taken on where the conference’s members stand ahead of votes on bills or other matters. The whip also tries to ensure that his conference’s members are in line with the party.
Earlier this month, Mr. Barrasso said he has enough votes to secure the second-highest position in the Senate GOP conference.
“They’ve seen the job that I’ve done as chairman of the policy committee, they’ve seen the job that I’ve done now for the last six years as the chairman of the conference in terms of making sure the information they got was credible, reliable, accurate, timely, things that they could use to be successful at home and successful in D.C.,” he said in a statement on March 7.
Mr. McConnell has been Senate GOP leader since 2007. He was the Senate minority leader from 2007 to 2015, the majority leader from 2015 to 2017, and the minority leader again in 2021.
Mr. McConnell reiterated that he is not leaving the Senate, though he said he will be in “a different seat in the chamber” instead of the front-row seat where he currently sits.
US ‘Was Much Better Off Under’ Trump
In January, Mr. Barrasso endorsed President Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.“The country was much better off under President Donald Trump,” said Mr. Barrasso on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News on Jan. 9. “And Joe Biden continues to fail America.”
Mr. Barrasso lamented the high gas prices, the crisis at the southern border, and energy policy under President Joe Biden.
“This is a disaster. We cannot afford another four years of Joe Biden’s failures,” he said.
“So if you want to get the country back on track, which is what I want to do, we need a strong Republican conservative House and Senate,” continued Mr. Barrasso. “And we need Donald Trump back in the White House. That’s why tonight I’m endorsing Donald Trump for president of the United States.”
Mr. Barrasso saved his announcement for Mr. Hannity’s show.
Mr. Barrasso said that states that have kicked President Trump off the ballot and are looking to do so are only benefiting the former president. “They cannot continue to do this. It’s not working for them. They know Joe Biden is a weak president,” he said.
Americans are worse off than they were four years ago, remarked Mr. Barrasso. This, he said, “is why Americans are turning to Donald Trump for president.”
Looking back at a 2019 visit he took with then-President Trump to Afghanistan during the war there, he said the Armed Forces respected the former president.
Mr. Barrasso was the chairman of the platform committee at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
In addition to Mr. Barrasso, the other members of Senate GOP leadership—including Mr. McConnell, who has had a rocky relationship with the former president—have endorsed President Trump.
