Trump’s 2024 ‘unity’ bid causes discontent among some House Republicans

Former President Donald Trump is attempting to increase the odds that Republicans control Congress next year as he eyes a return to the White House, aligning himself with GOP leadership with the endorsements he’s doled out in dozens of primaries.

The approach, which follows GOP leaders blaming a spate of losses in the midterm elections on his endorsements, was underscored by Speaker Mike Johnson‘s (R-LA) visit to Mar-a-Lago on Monday. Trump backed two candidates in the hours after their meeting.

But not everyone is happy with Trump’s decision to align himself with the GOP establishment. His decision to put himself at odds with certain conservative candidates has drawn the ire of some lawmakers, including members of the House Freedom Caucus, who say the Republicans he is supporting will not be loyal to him if he wins a second term.

Trump chooses establishment picks

The former president has mostly stayed in sync with both the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee when it comes to primary endorsements.

Just hours after his meeting with Johnson and NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) in Florida, Trump rolled out endorsements in two tight GOP primaries in Alaska and Utah. Trump backed Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom in Alaska and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT). His endorsement of Maloy, in particular, places him at odds with Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who endorsed Colby Jenkins, the congresswoman’s challenger.

Johnson has publicly backed Maloy in her race, so Trump’s subsequent endorsement suggests his attempts to curry Trump’s favor is paying dividends as the speaker seeks to expand his razor-thin majority in the lower chamber. The trip to Mar-a-Lago followed Trump’s visit to Washington last week, where he huddled with House and Senate Republicans in separate meetings.

“It was great to meet with President Trump today at Mar-a-Lago,” Johnson said in a post to X following his meeting in Florida. “Our Party is united, and working together, I am confident we will send President Trump back to the White House, win back the Senate, and grow our House Republican majority!”

Burying old hatchets

On the Senate side, Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) put aside their yearslong rivalry last week when the former president met with Senate Republicans to strategize about the GOP’s 2024 playbook.

The two men sat next to one another, at one point even fist-bumping, at what was described as a cordial meeting with a “gracious” Trump, according to other Republican senators in attendance.

Trump allies said the former president was subdued and respectful, even to his outspoken foes, during the Senate GOP meeting, a tone Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told the Washington Examiner was “frankly surprising.”

“[Trump] was very encouraging, affirming,” Hawley said. “I didn’t detect any kind of underhanded little barbs or ‘Some of you were wrong about me.’ There was none of that, like, zero. It was extremely gracious.”

“We have great unity,” Trump said during the press conference with several GOP senators. “We have great common sense, a lot of very smart people in this room.”

Several of Trump’s chosen Senate candidates last cycle, like Don Bolduc in New Hampshire or Herschel Walker in Georgia, performed poorly during the general election, allowing for Democrats to keep a hold of their majority in the upper chamber.

Ahead of last week’s primary, Trump threw out a last-minute endorsement to Army veteran Sam Brown in Nevada, whom the NRSC wholly supported — displaying another moment of harmony between the former president and Chairman Steve Daines (R-MT) as they both look to avoid perceived mistakes made in the midterm elections.

Republicans are hopeful that Brown will be able to oust Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) this year after he lost the Republican Senate primary in 2022 to Adam Laxalt. Laxalt went on to lose to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) that year.

Not all House conservatives on board

Some of Trump’s endorsements, however, have frustrated an unlikely group: the House Freedom Caucus. Made up of hard-line conservatives, the GOP lawmakers rarely disagree with the former president on anything.

In particular, Trump made headlines for his decision to oppose caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA), who faces state Sen. John McGuire in a competitive primary contest on Tuesday night. Good and Trump’s relationship turned sour and then outright icy after the Virginia congressman endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) over Trump in the Republican presidential primaries.

Trump’s endorsements of William Timmons (R-SC) and Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) also drew the ire of Freedom Caucus members, as the two congressmen have been critical of the caucus in the past.

“A lot of people he endorsed, though, in South Carolina are working against him,” Rep. Ralph Norman said (R-SC). “And I think that hurts him. But he’s a free agent — we all are — and his track record is pretty good.”

In Senate races, the former president has endorsed the NRSC’s preferred candidates like former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers and Tim Sheehy in Montana.

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“He is endorsing moderates in most races if there’s a conservative in the race,” Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) told Punchbowl News. “We can’t send the swamp any people that are just going to keep funding the status quo.”

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told NOTUS that should Trump win the White House, “I think he will learn to regret having chosen some of the people he endorsed.”