The rift between Trump and the leader of the Republicans in the Senate: “stabbing each other in the back”

The midterm elections in the United States are fast approaching and Trump and the Republican Party are desperately trying to keep their majorities in both houses of Congress. But in the shadow of the joint effort, a widening rift was revealed between Trump and one of the most prominent leaders in the party, Senate leader John Thune. “We should be talking about our achievements, talking about how radical the Democrats are, and instead we’re stabbing each other in the back,” a Republican senator told CNN.

The American network reported that there is no regular communication between Ben Thune and Trump, and sometimes weeks go by without them talking. Instead, Thune finds out about new Trump initiatives, including those being promoted in the Senate, through social media and the media.

According to the report, Thune and Trump were in much more frequent contact early in Trump’s second term, at which time Trump often praised Thune’s leadership, while the Senate Republican leader was generally careful not to publicly criticize Trump. But tensions between the two have increased in recent weeks as Trump has publicly attacked Thune’s leadership. Trump even encouraged his supporters to direct their anger at the majority leader, demanding to approve the election law promoted by the president and rejected by the Senate.

Thune and Trump have not spoken in the last two weeks, despite the particularly sensitive period in the Senate and the White House. CNN reported that the gap between the two has only deepened since Trump began working to oust Republican Senator John Cornyn, and after Thune refused Trump’s demands regarding Senate majority control. On the other hand, Trump surprised Thun repeatedly and thwarted key moves he tried to promote in Congress.

The rift between them became visible last week when Thune replied that he “doesn’t know” if Trump is trying to make him a scapegoat in the event of a Republican loss in the midterm elections. A day earlier, Trump pointedly refused to express confidence in him when asked if Thune was still the right man to lead Senate Republicans. Thon did not remain oblivious and replied: “He does not vote in our elections.”

The internal tensions in the party caused serious concern among Republican senators. “These infighting are just not helpful,” Republican Senator Jim Justice told CNN.

The internal struggle between the two leaders has created a rift within the party: a little more than ten Republicans identified with Trump’s base fully side with the president, while most of the other senators side with Thune.