Punchbowl News: Emmer endorses Trump, joining House GOP leaders

When House Majority Leader Steve Scalise endorsed former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, all eyes immediately turned to Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who hadn’t yet backed anyone in the presidential race.

A day later, Emmer joined Speaker Mike Johnson, House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, NRCC Chair Richard Hudson, Scalise and dozens of fellow Republicans in throwing his support behind Trump.

“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 said in a statement.

Yet for Emmer, this was a loaded moment. Emmer was the only top House Republican who voted to certify the 2020 election.

Trump, in turn, lashed out at Emmer during the race to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. When Emmer won the nomination to succeed McCarthy – after Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) had bailed out – Trump publicly called Emmer “a globalist RINO.”

Here’s Trump on Oct. 24:

“He is totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters. I believe he has now learned his lesson, because he is saying that he is Pro-Trump all the way, but who can ever be sure? Has he only changed because that’s what it takes to win?”

Emmer tried speaking to Trump personally before the former president publicly attacked him, but it didn’t do any good in the end.

And during the contentious whip race following the 2022 election, Donald Trump Jr. openly attacked Emmer. The MAGA movement supported Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) in that race, although Emmer ended up winning.

But with Trump, everything is about constant public displays of loyalty. So it makes sense that Emmer would bite the bullet and endorse Trump now, especially since all his direct colleagues have done it.

Now with the Senate Republican leadership, it’s another story. We’ll see how that unfolds as Trump opens his march to the GOP presidential nomination in Iowa and New Hampshire in two weeks.