Trump privately supported John Thune in tight leadership race, Sen. Steve Daines says

National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman and top Trump ally Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., suggested to senators ahead of Wednesday's Republican leadership election that President-elect Donald Trump supports the whip of Senate Minority John Thune, RS.D. ., to win, even if he chose not to publicly endorse it.

Daines, who gave one of Thune's two nominating speeches before voting began, said Trump was supporting Thune in the Senate race. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, two sources told Fox News Digital, including one. senator in the room.

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Daines privately encourages other Republicans to support Thune. (Reuters)

Daines' office confirmed to Fox News Digital that he told colleagues “Trump loves Thune” before the vote.

Notably, Scott had received several public endorsements from people aligned with Trump, including Billionaire X's owner, Elon Musk. He also had the support of several Senate colleagues allied with Trump. However, he was eliminated in the first secret ballot, receiving only 13 votes.

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Left: Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida; Right: Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a press conference after being elected Senate Majority Leader by the Senate Republican Caucus in Washington, DC, November 13, 2024. (Left: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Right: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Whether Trump would settle for a Thune victory had been speculated before the race, given the fractured relationship the two men had during and after his first term as president.

Since then, Thune and Trump have remained in contact and have apparently repaired their relationship, according to Daines' remarks.

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Thune won the leadership race in the second secret ballot, with 29 votes, two more than the necessary majority of 27 votes. Cornyn received 24 votes.

The South Dakota Republican had received early support from another prominent Trump ally, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, who revealed his support shortly after announcing his candidacy.

After his victory Wednesday, Trump congratulated Thune in an article on Truth Social. “Congratulations to Senator John Thune, the new Senate Majority Leader. He is moving quickly and will do an outstanding job,” he said.

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U.S. Senator John Thune, R.S.D., newly elected Senate Majority Leader for the upcoming 119th Congress, speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. (TING SHEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump's private support for Thune, as Daines suggested, came despite the South Dakota senator's reluctance to commit to allowing recess appointments after Trump publicly called for leadership nominees to be All right.

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Thune simply said everything is on the table when it comes to confirming Trump's picks for his administration, without committing to letting him unilaterally confirm them over the holidays.

The Trump transition team and Thune's office did not immediately comment to Fox News Digital.