But as bad as he is, Senator John Thune would be worse if he is selected as McConnell’s replacement. The secret ballot to determine who will lead the Senate next year is happening Sunday.

On today’s episode of The JD Rucker Show, I will explore why Thune is so bad, why Senator John Cornyn is almost as bad as Thune, and why Senator Rick Scott needs to be the guy. Scott isn’t perfect. Far from it. His embrace of Red Flag Gun Laws is conspicuous and concerning. But compared to his opponents, he’s exponentially better.

But it’s often hard to quantify for the general public why one Republican is better or worse than another. Senator Rick Scott appears to be the the consensus choice for MAGA influencers from Elon Musk to Dan Bongino, but we don’t get to vote. Instead, only Republican Senators vote and their votes are kept secret. Thus is the way of The Swamp.

MAGA influencer Rogan O’Handley posted an image on 𝕏. The caption is spot on and the message couldn’t be more clear.

One of these men is an anti-Trump warmonger who wants to drag America into WW3.

The other is Zelensky.

One of these men is an anti-Trump warmonger who wants to drag America into WW3

The other is Zelensky pic.twitter.com/yAJzQXgKjA

— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) November 11, 2024

Contact any and all Republican Senators whether in your state or not and tell them that John Thune (and John Cornyn, for that matter) would be horrible for Agenda 47. They already know this. They just need to know that YOU know this.

I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders (“The Border Czar”), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security. I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.

Homan, who has been vigorously loyal to President Trump during and after his first term, has worked with six presidents during his long career.

He recently sparked controversy, at least among leftwing snowflakes, for comments he made during a 60 Minutes interview. When asked by CBS reporter Cecilia Vega whether illegal aliens could be deported without separating families, Homan stated that it is indeed possible. “Families can be deported together,” he said.

According to Trending Politics:

Homan also rejected the notion that deporting illegal aliens would be harmful to immigrants, though he did note that “it should be threatening to the illegal immigrant community.” He also stated that the mass deportation of illegal aliens is necessary due to the record-setting, civilization-altering number of illegal immigrants admitted to the country under the Biden-Harris Administration.

Since President Biden took office, nearly 10-million illegal aliens have entered the United States, surging past records in the fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

On day one, Trump plans to reinstate a number of immigration executive orders that were rescinded by President Biden on his first day in January 2021. Among the orders planned by Trump is the reintroduction of the popular Remain in Mexico policy, which required asylum seekers to wait outside the country while their asylum claims are processed.

The Biden Administration has instead opted for a catch and release policy, under which illegal aliens are released and oftentimes transported to locations of their choosing within the U.S. interior.

Trump’s promises to secure the border and deport illegal aliens are among the many reason his messages resonated with the American electorate. The border crisis under the Biden-Harris regime has become so bad that even lifelong Democrats have had to side with the Trump plan for the sake of self-preservation.

A list purported to be the internal Whip numbers for GOP Senators voting for Senate Majority Leader was leaked Sunday night and paints the worst-case scenario for MAGA. If it’s real, then John Thune, the man Mitch McConnell has been grooming as his replacement for years, is in the driver’s seat to become the most powerful Senator.

Many MAGA influencers, including Elon Musk and Dan Bongino, have backed Rick Scott as the Trump ally to take the role. RINO Senators John Thune and John Cornyn are the Establishment’s picks. Some of us have hoped that they would split the Establishment vote and leave Scott in the lead, but apparently there are even fewer patriots in the Senate than some of us thought.

According to a post by Benny Johnson:

A GOP Senate Source has leaked the internal whip-count for the Leadership Vote. The final votes will be on a secret ballot Wednesday.

Here is where the race stands now…

• Cornyn (18)
• Scott (11)
• Thune (24)

• Banks – Thune
• Barrasso – Thune
• Blackburn – Thune
• Boozman – Cornyn
• Britt – Cornyn
• Budd – Cornyn
• Capito – Cornyn
• Cassidy – Thune
• Collins – Thune
• Cornyn – Cornyn
• Cotton – Thune
• Cramer – Thune
• Crapo – Cornyn
• Cruz – Thune
• Curtis – Thune
• Daines – Thune
• Ernst – Cornyn
• Fischer – Cornyn
• Graham – Cornyn
• Grassley – Cornyn
• Hagerty – Scott
• Hawley – Cornyn
• Hoeven – Thune
• Hyde-Smith – Cornyn
• Johnson – Scott
• Justice – Thune
• Kennedy – Cornyn
• Lankford – Cornyn
• Lee – Scott
• Lummis – Thune
• Marshall – Scott
• McConnell – Thune
• McCormick – Cornyn
• Moran – Cornyn
• Moreno – Scott
• Mullin – Thune
• Murkowski – Thune
• Paul – Scott
• Ricketts – Cornyn
• Risch – Cornyn
• Rounds – Thune
• Rubio – Scott
• Schmitt – Scott
• Scott (FL) – Scott
• Scott (SC) – Thune
• Sheehy – Thune
• Sullivan – Thune
• Tillis – Thune
• Thune – Cornyn
• Tuberville – Scott
• Vance – Scott
• Wicker – Thune
• Young – Thune

Proposed “Community Notes” for the post suggest it may not be real because Thune is allegedly not voting for himself and J.D. Vance is on the list. If it’s fake, it’s a very strong fake because there are no surprises on the list. Everyone who has announced their vote for Scott is where they belong. Those listed as voting for Thune or Cornyn jibe with what we know from their histories, including the cowardly, self-serving “patriots” like Tim Scott and Ted Cruz who want to be in the good graces of Thune.

It’s conspicuous that thus far, no Senators have come out to declare the list is inaccurate.

On a personal note, I’m not as bullish about Scott as others. But compared to Thune or Cornyn, he’s far better which is why I support him. In lieu of someone like Rand Paul or Ron Johnson getting the nod, Scott would be fine.

If the list pans out and Thune is selected, it will not bode well for America. He is anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, and fully compromised by every special interest out there. The list of groups who “own” Thune include Big Pharma, Ukraine, and the Military Industrial Complex. Let’s pray Scott can pull off an upset.

This time, it should be different. He’s no longer a political novice getting advice from The Swamp on how to drain itself. He’s seen the duplicity of those he once considered allies, which is why he proactively and publicly declined to include NeoCon Nikki Haley and Deep State Mike Pompeo in his second administration.

These are good moves, but it’s not enough. The rats are everywhere. This is Washington DC, after all, and rats are attracted to the nation’s capital like morbidly obese people are attracted to a Chinese buffet.

At least one man close to President Trump is going to fight to keep the NeoCons out. In fact, nobody other than Melania can get closer to the President than Donald Trump Jr.

Comedian Dave Smith issued a warning on 𝕏:

The “stop Pompeo” movement is great but it’s not enough. Right now we need maximum pressure to keep all neocons and war hawks out of the Trump administration. They have had their time at the table and brought nothing but disaster to the world and this country.

America First: screw the war machine!

Don Jr. replied:

Agreed!!! I’m on it.

Don Jr. has previously stated that the only real roll he wants in the next Trump administration is helping pick the people who will surround his father. He wants to be the gatekeeper and few people have greater incentives to keep the rats out of the White House than he does. Whether he wants to solidify his father’s place in history, save America from The Swamp, or prepare for his own political future (it’s all three), it behooves him to make sure the administration is loaded with people loyal to the nation and to his father.

There may be nobody better suited for the job. Perhaps more so than even his father, Don Jr. has his finger on the pulse of rumblings from the MAGA base. He talks often with MAGA influencers and has more freedom to engage with them behind the scenes than his father who is insulted as a necessity of his position.

Between new Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Don Jr., and the transition team, the personnel mistakes of the first administration are on track to be greatly reduced for the second. You can’t Drain The Swamp with people who have a vested interest in keeping it full. Trump’s second administration should be able to start off with the right people in the right places.

Unfortunately, most in conservative and even alternative media are currently ignoring this story. But as is often the case, we’re highlighting the story here in hopes that others will pick up the ball.

Let’s look at some facts. First and foremost, the discrepancy between the Presidential race the Senate race is huge. Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris by nearly 200,000 votes, over 6-points. Lake allegedly lost by 45,000 votes, or 1.5%. While there can definitely be variations between a Senate and Presidential candidate, Lake and Trump are practically in lockstep on nearly every issue. It’s extremely unlikely that a quarter million Arizonans voted for Trump AND Gallego on the same ballot.

You can’t make this make sense!

The Senate race was just called for Ruben Gallego, who apparently received MORE votes than Kamala Harris in the State.

Kari Lake also received more votes than Kamala, but fewer than Gallego. pic.twitter.com/XWMgvhb1gQ

— David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) November 10, 2024

So, Donald Trump got 150,000 more votes than Trump-backed candidate @KariLake. Lake got nearly 40,000 more votes than Kamala Harris.

BUT Dem. senate candidate Ruben Gallego got 45,000 more than Lake? And he got 80,000 more than Harris?

Somebody make it make sense. pic.twitter.com/ipb015U0cx

— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) November 10, 2024

Then, there’s the strange ballot drops magically appeared after the deadline. In any state that runs fair elections, this would ring alarm bells. Unfortunately, Arizona is notorious as one of the most corrupt states when it comes to election integrity.

JUST IN: Arizona's Pima and Yuma counties appear to have added 22,816 votes following Election Day.

A US appeals court just ruled that counting ballots AFTER the election is ILLEGAL.

Do you support the Trump administration opening an investigation into the last two elections? https://t.co/eV5Z6FffoW

— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) November 10, 2024

According to Jim Hoft from The Gateway Pundit:

Election officials in Arizona are once again changing the ballot totals as the US Senate Seat has yet to be called.

President Trump won the state 52.7% to 46.4% over Kamala Harris.

But the officials in Arizona want you to believe that a majority of Arizona voters voted for Trump, and then a majority voted for the open borders communist Ruben Gallego, the son of a cartel attorney.

The Kari Lake campaign fired off a letter on Friday to Pima County officials after they were caught changing the ballot totals this week!

Then, there’s the election official in Maricopa County, the state’s largest, who declared that he wants to “make life hell” for Kari Lake. He happens to be in charge of county the ballots.

According to the Daily Mail, Stephen Richer’s animus toward Lake was revealed in the transcript of a June 21 deposition in which he was asked about a communication with a friend.

“And your response if kind of a laundry list here of bullet points: Get out of politics permanently; get out of politics temporarily; run for reelection as a Republican; run for reelection as an independent; run for mayor if no Kate; and then finally run for U.S. Sen, just to fly the flag for real conservatism and make life hell for Kari,” the lawyer questioning Richer said. “Did I read that correctly?”

“Yes,” Richer replied.

“Why would you want to make life hell for Kari Lake in March of 2023?” Richer was asked.

“I don’t remember,” Richer said. “I don’t think she’s a real conservative.”

Skeptics may question why Trump was allowed to win but not Lake. With Arizona’s notoriously late ballot counting status, the presidency had already been secured by Trump before half the ballots were counted in Arizona. It made no sense to risk national attention by having questionable vote counts hit that race.

Lake is insanely popular in Arizona with support that is very similar to Trump’s. For her to lose when Trump won the state by a good margin is unfathomable. But it’s Arizona, and in Arizona elections are swayed by those who count the votes. Unfortunately for Lake, the people counting the votes hate her.

I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation. I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

There had been speculation that Pompeo was being considered for multiple positions, including Chief of Staff. But Trump picked his campaign Co-Chair, Susie Wiles, to lead his cabinet.

As for Haley, her team was reported in talks with Trump’s campaign team to have her join him in the final two weeks before the election. They apparently couldn’t make an arrangement because Haley didn’t campaign for him and now Trump has declared she will not be part of his administration.

This is wonderful news for MAGA faithful who view both Haley and Pompeo as backstabbers. Haley ran against Trump in the GOP primary and Pompeo spoke out multiple times against Trump regarding the various charges against him.

WOW FBI Director Christopher Wray to retire before President Trump’s inauguration. pic.twitter.com/GimZrdrL9M

— The Trump Train (@The_Trump_Train) November 9, 2024

Speculation about such a move started circulating shortly after Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 election. Wray, who was appointed by Trump, has had a tumultuous reign over the federal law enforcement agency.

Most recently, he’s been called out by the House Judiciary Committee for “cooking the books” on crime statistics ahead of the election.

Chris Wray isn’t off the hook for cooking the books on crime stats.

We’re on it.@Jim_Jordan, @RepAndyBiggsAZ. pic.twitter.com/ZudNigvxRP

— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) November 7, 2024

Trump supporters have been critical of Wray for years.

Christopher Wray knew hunters laptop wasn't disinformation. He also knew the 51 spies lied and covered it up. Are we ready for Trumps administration to fire him and bring him up on charges? Not one person should get a pass. pic.twitter.com/2eLFqxgrug

— Sassafrass84 (@Sassafrass_84) November 8, 2024

According to the Associated Press:

With Trump poised to reclaim the White House, Wray’s days as director may be numbered. Though the director’s job carries a 10-year term, Trump’s blistering and repeated criticism of his own appointee raises the likelihood that Trump would either replace Wray upon taking office or that Wray would leave on his own to avoid being fired. Such a move would give Trump a chance to reshape the FBI’s leadership in his own image at a time when he’s threatened to pursue his own political adversaries.

If Christopher Wray doesn’t step down, he’ll almost certainly be fired. Who would be a suitable replacement?

This one is a first for me.

The radical leftist posted a short but potent critique of how Democrats view their corporate media lapdogs and it’s actually spot on.

Democrats view media as marketing. That’s why they get so angry when any left-wing media doesn’t agree with them 100%. And they got used to mainstream media, like Morning Joe and The View, being pure propaganda for them. So, they’ve developed a very unhealthy entitlement complex.

There’s a lot @joerogan doesn’t agree with Trump on, but Trump didn’t give a shit. He took the win. Democrats think it’s unacceptable unless the host agrees ahead of time to give them everything. They’ll take nothing instead. Ok, well that’s what you wound up with – nothing.

It fundamentally misunderstands the current media dynamics. You’re not getting it – we don’t need you, you need us. How many elections are the Democrats going to lose before they figure this out?

To be fair, it’s mostly corporate media’s fault they’re treated this way by Democrats. They bowed before Barack Obama and then never stood back up to face future Democrats. They got so used to kissing his butt that they started kissing whatever blue butt was in front of their faces.

It’s a crude visually, but it’s accurate.

As I’ve long said, the far left and the far right share a common disdain for mainstream interests. Granted, the far left has been willing to ignore those interests as they pertain to the media because it has benefitted their side for so long, but that doesn’t mean they don’t recognize the hypocrisy. Uygur is just voicing something he’s known clearly for a very long time.

The funny (or sad, depending upon your perspective) part about all of this is that corporate media would be MORE effective at promoting their UniParty Swamp puppet masters if they pushed back against them sometimes. There’s a reason why 𝕏 as a platform and podcasting as a medium are viewed more favorably than corporate media and left-aligned Big Tech.

It’s not because there are no Democrats on 𝕏; there are actually more Democrats than Republicans there.

It’s not because there are no leftist podcasts; some of the most powerful podcasters, including Rogan, are or were Democrats.

The reason corporate media has sunk so low on the trust scale is because they’ve become agenda-driven instead of truth-driven. That has always been the case to some extent, but over the last eight years it has become so commonplace that members of corporate media are no longer trying to hide their biases. They hate Trump and they’re willing to admit it. They hate Trump’s supporters and they no longer disguise their disdain.

The big concern for conservatives shouldn’t be media continuing on their unhinged, leftist path. The longer they do it, the less they’ll be trusted. The real concern for conservatives is if corporate media wakes up and starts reporting facts instead of narratives. of course, that would take a complete overhaul and it’s unlikely any of them have the stomach for that.

Two of them are RINOs—John Thune and John Cornyn—while Rick Scott may not have the support to prevent either “McConnell 2.0” from ascending.

Senator Mike Lee has a plan. Well, it’s really just a theory combined with a wish, but it has a lot of conservatives wanting to sprinkle any fairy dust they can find on it so they can make it come true. The “John Adams Plan” would have Vice-President-Elect J.D. Vance ascend to the role of Senate Majority Leader while also fulfilling his duties as President of the Senate.

Crazier ideas have been put forth. Here’s what Senator Lee recently posted on 𝕏:

Here’s the point I was making:

Regardless of who Senate Republicans elect as the new majority leader, @JDVance will be the president of the Senate, and as such will be in a good position to lead the Senate GOP—to whatever extent and in whatever way he chooses to do so

In that respect, @JDVance doesn’t have to run to be the Senate’s GOP leader

He already did

And he won

So regardless of who might become the majority leader—a position we need to fill from among Republican senators—@JDVance could still “pull a John Adams,” and thus become the highest-ranking & most-influential Republican in the Senate

“Constitutional Scholars” have emerged on 𝕏 to try to shoot down the idea but here’s the thing. The Senate Majority Leader isn’t even a Constitutional role. It is part of the Senate’s own internal rules so giving Vance “side job” as Majority Leader while also retaining his VP role as President of the Senate seems viable.

Having the presidency and retaining control of the House are obviously important if we’re to see Donald Trump’s full agenda fulfilled, but handing the reins of the Senate over to Thune or Cornyn will greatly hamper the agenda. Both have interests that are often opposed to the America First policies Trump wants to sign. With a Democrat-leaning Senate map coming up in the midterms, it appears likely that Trump will only have two years to complete his mission unhampered.

Either Thune or Cornyn would hamper that mission.

Senator Lee’s plan is gaining traction among conservative media heavy hitters. Both Charlie Kirk and Glenn Beck endorsed the plan Friday:

A poll posted by Senator Lee on 𝕏 shows Scott as the favorite among the conservative base.

https://twitter.com/BasedMikeLee/status/1855041352045621633

Meanwhile, leftist corporate media has been attacking Senator Scott. Axios posted an article Thursday claiming that Trump didn’t feel Scott was a good Senate Majority Leader candidate. It cited anonymous sources, of course, but Google searches for Scott taking the role showed the Axios headline up top. That is often enough to spread a false narrative and damage sentiment toward Scott.

Conservative thought leaders on 𝕏 are lining up behind Scott.

https://twitter.com/dbongino/status/1854905174856253692

https://twitter.com/ScottPresler/status/1854903613954334746

https://twitter.com/LauraLoomer/status/1854681473053569186

https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1854656605125853404

https://twitter.com/TheLeoTerrell/status/1854602978713550858

I support @ScottforFlorida for Senate GOP leader.

— Dr. Kelli Ward (@kelliwardaz) November 8, 2024

Rick Scott would make an excellent Senate Majority Leader. pic.twitter.com/facDvi2LEZ

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 8, 2024

New: Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson is calling on President Trump to publicly endorse Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader.
pic.twitter.com/B288NA5mCU

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) November 7, 2024

We desperately need Trump to publicly support Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader.

If it’s Cornyn or Thune, it’s a continuation of McConnell.

And without Trump’s weight behind Scott, he will not win.

This matters. A lot.

— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) November 7, 2024

MAGA supports….

Senator @ScottforFlorida @SenRickScott from Florida for Leader of the US Senate. pic.twitter.com/SzOc1wyp3q

— Amy Kremer (@AmyKremer) November 8, 2024

Mr President: Please put your finger on the scale for @rickscott for majority leader in the Senate. If it isn’t him, LETS GET @JDVance to take the position. It will make him a real leader getting things done and your voice in the senate. Together you will get it done.…

— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) November 8, 2024

We need Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader

MAGA just swept the country with a mandate

Not the RINO uniparty types like John Thune and John Cornyn

MAGA must be in charge of the Senate https://t.co/IcETlmR05G

— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) November 7, 2024

Why in the world did Josh Hawley just back John Cornyn for Senate Majority Leader?

Cornyn is one of the absolute worst.

Rick Scott needs to be leader.

— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) November 8, 2024

President Trump’s first term was subverted by Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan. He will be subverted again if “McConnell 2.0” is running the Senate. J.D. Vance or Rick Scott as Senate Majority Leader would put Trump’s agenda into overdrive.