Trump adviser calls for alternative to Thune for Senate GOP leader

President Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz publicly called on Senate Republicans to look beyond Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) Thursday, accusing the party of “rewarding failure” after sweeping midterm losses.

“Why do Hill Republicans insist on rewarding failure? He’s not exactly in touch with the interests of Republican voters,” Bruesewitz wrote on the social platform X . “Perhaps it’s time to give someone else a chance?”

Thune’s conference suffered big losses Tuesday night, losing at least seven seats and trailing in two other uncalled races. That includes losses in deep-red states like South Carolina and Kansas.

The South Dakota Republican was elected to lead his conference in 2024 after his party reclaimed the Senate, finishing narrowly ahead of Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Other Republicans joined Bruesewitz’s calls on X, including Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who said Thune should not be reelected as leader because the Senate did not pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, a sweeping Trump-backed voting bill.

“If Senator Thune cares at all about what remains of the Senate Republicans, he should sit this one out,” Gosar wrote in a post . “For two years, House Republicans begged him to bring conservative legislation to the floor, including the SAVE Act. He refused. He chose to protect the institution rather than fight to save the country.”

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) blasted Thune on X over the SAVE America Act shortly after her home state’s Senate race was projected to flip to Democrats.

“Reminder: We have John Thune to thank for not passing the SAVE America Act and securing our elections earlier,” Mace wrote online .

In a post on election night, Thune vowed to stop Democrats once they are in the majority.

“As we head into 2027, Senate Republicans will not stand idly by as the far-left, socialist wing of the Democrat Party attempts to unwind everything we’ve done,” Thune wrote on X . “Thankfully, we still have President Trump in the White House, and we’ll work with him to stop the worst impulses of Democrat extremism.”

Bruesewitz, who first began advising Trump ahead of the 2016 election, has clashed with Republicans before. Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) called on Trump to fire him earlier this year, threatening to withhold votes if he did not.

Coming to Bruesewitz’s defense was perhaps an unlikely ally: rapper Nicki Minaj. Minaj said Bruesewitz had “ 100% LOYALTY to our President ” and was “100% LOVED by the Barbz,” Minaj’s fanbase.

Bruesewitz also recently sparred with far-right activist Laura Loomer in defending the president’s diesel deal with Russia.