House GOP Whip Tom Emmer endorses Trump, solidifying leadership support

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.), the No. 3 Republican leader in the House, endorsed former President Trump in his 2024 White House bid Wednesday.

Emmer’s endorsement means all of the top five members of House GOP leadership — Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.), House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (N.Y) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson (N.C.) — have endorsed the former president in the 2024 GOP primary.

“Democrats have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep Joe Biden and his failed policies in power. We cannot let them. It’s time for Republicans to unite behind our party’s clear frontrunner, which is why I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President,” Emmer said in a statement posted Wednesday to X, formerly known as Twitter.

Emmer had previously indicated in an interview with The Hill last year that he might not endorse a candidate in the primary.

But after Scalise endorsed Trump on Tuesday, Emmer was the lone member of House GOP leadership who had not voiced support for Trump, which some political operatives and commentators had noted.

Trump and Emmer have far from a cozy relationship.

When Emmer ran for Speaker in a bid to replace ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in October, Trump publicly campaigned against him, releasing a scathing statement calling the majority whip a “Globalist RINO” and saying voting for him “would be a tragic mistake.” Emmer is also the only one of the top five GOP leaders who did not vote to object to certifying Electoral College results from the 2020 election, a position Trump advocated.

There are less than two weeks before the Iowa Republican caucuses, the first nominating contest in the 2024 GOP primary, where Trump is dominating in the polls.

Updated at 8:48 a.m. ET