Donald Trump Jr. Wants to Reform Republican Leadership

Donald Trump Jr. is setting out to replace two-thirds of the Senate GOP leadership.

Trump Jr. called for Senators Mitch McConnell, John Thune, Shelley Moore Capito and Joni Ernst to be replaced, after the four Republicans joined their Democratic counterparts early Tuesday to pass a $95 billion foreign aid package. Newsweek reached out to McConnell, Thune, Capito and Ernst via email for comment.

"Only 2 members of Senate GOP Leadership opposed the Ukraine First funding bill," Trump Jr. wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "The rest of GOP Leadership stood with DEMOCRATS to send billions more to Ukraine."

Senator John Barrasso, who serves as the No. 3 Senate Republican, and Senator Steve Daines, who chairs the Republican Senatorial Committee, voted against the Ukraine bill.

The legislation, which includes $60 billion to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia, has been fiercely criticized by former President Donald Trump and his allies.

Trump has pressured Senate Republicans to vote against the bill, arguing that the U.S. should not grant foreign aid unless it's a loan, and Senator J.D. Vance, one of Trump's top allies in the chamber, has warned his GOP colleagues that the package could set up Trump for impeachment if he wins back the White House in November.

Nonetheless, the bill was passed through the Senate by a vote of 70 to 29, including support from 22 Republicans. It now heads to the House where its fate is uncertain. House Speaker Mike Johnson, another key Trump ally, has already signaled his opposition and indicated that he would not put it up for a vote.

Although Trump's relationship with McConnell and Thune has long been tense, Capito and Ernst haven't previously been major targets of the former president's camp. Capito is the only one of the four who has endorsed Trump's 2024 presidential bid. Both Barrasso and Daines have also publicly supported Trump's return to the White House.

In a statement following the vote, McConnell, one of the biggest Republican supporters of the bill, said: "For three years, a policy of hesitation, short-sightedness, and self-deterrence led the world to wonder whether the United States still has the resolve to face growing, coordinated threats. Today, we faced a clear test of that resolve."

"History settles every account," the Senate minority leader said. "And today, on the value of American leadership and strength, history will record that the Senate did not blink."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked McConnell and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer after the bill cleared the Senate, saying he was "grateful" for their support of "continued assistance to Ukraine."

"For us in Ukraine, continued US assistance helps to save human lives from Russian terror. It means that life will continue in our cities and will triumph over war," Zelensky said in a post on X. "American assistance brings just peace in Ukraine closer and restores global stability, resulting in increased security and prosperity for all Americans and all the free world."