John Thune
other
John Randolph Thune is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005. From 1997 to 2003, Thune served as the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, Thune has served since 2025 as Senate majority leader and Senate Republican leader.
Standing...
Stories...
Aug 9, 2026
Lean Left
As Senate majority leader, he moved the 90-6 spending bill that sidestepped Trump's Iran war funding and voter ID proposal.
The left gives him limited credit for defusing a shutdown but notes he did so only on temporary, status-quo terms without progressive wins.
Jul 23, 2026
Lean Left
Senate Majority Leader Thune tells Trump to 'get on the phone and get the votes' after White House press secretary Leavitt criticises the Senate over voter ID.
Labour views Thune as a rare institutional check on Trump's lawlessness within the Republican Party.
Jun 12, 2026
Lean Left
Senate Majority Leader Thune is reportedly under pressure from Trump to fire the Senate parliamentarian, a procedural officer who rules on budget reconciliation rules.
Lean-left readers see this as Trump strong-arming a Republican Senate leader to eliminate a nonpartisan guardrail in order to ram through legislation without Democratic input, a direct attack on what little procedural check remains in a malapportioned Senate.
Jun 11, 2026
Lean Right
Senate Majority Leader Thune is publicly pushing back against Trump's demand to fire parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to clear the path for the SAVE America Act.
To the lean-right coalition, Thune represents the establishment wing of the GOP prioritizing procedural comfort over delivering on the populist agenda voters demanded, validating long-held suspicions that Republican leadership sabotages its own base.
Jun 10, 2026
Lean Left
Senate Republican Leader Thune is urging Trump to nominate a permanent national intelligence director to unblock FISA Section 702 reauthorization, currently stalled because of Bill Pulte's controversial appointment.
Lean Left observers note the irony of Republicans demanding Democrats help reauthorize a sweeping surveillance tool while installing a politically loyalist intel chief, framing the impasse as Democrats drawing a rare meaningful line.