Trump says GOP always bend the knee: NYT

Former President Trump boasted about his commanding grip on the Republican Party, pointing to his ability to garner endorsements even from tough holdouts within the party, according to new reporting Thursday from The New York Times.

“They always bend the knee,” Trump said of securing the endorsement of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) for his presidential bid Wednesday, according to the Times, which attributed the comment to a person who spoke to Trump.

On Wednesday, Emmer became the final member of House GOP leadership to publicly endorse Trump. Emmer joins Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.), House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson (N.C.).

Emmer’s endorsement is significant, particularly since he is the only Republican leader who did not vote against certifying the 2020 election results. His endorsement bolsters Trump’s already commanding lead.

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The endorsement also comes after Trump tanked Emmer’s bid to become Speaker, in the three weeks during which the House was without a leader and House Republicans repeatedly failed to find a replacement to ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

After Emmer was selected as the GOP nominee for the Speakership, Trump took to his Truth Social platform and single-handedly hurt Emmer’s chances. Trump called Emmer a “Globalist RINO” and said voting for him “would be a tragic mistake.” Support for Emmer’s bid subsequently plummeted.

The Hill has reached out to representatives for Trump and Emmer for a response to the Times’s reporting.