John Thune Mends Breach With Donald Trump

Wall Street Journal: “John Thune, the second highest-ranking Republican in the Senate, was in Palm Beach, Fla., for fundraisers with his wife, Kimberley Thune, and called to see if Trump might be able to sit down and chat.”

“It wasn’t a sure date. Less than four years prior, Trump had called Thune a ‘RINO,’ or Republican in name only, and urged others to try to oust him in a GOP primary, saying on social media that ‘South Dakota doesn’t like weakness!'”

“But in the hourlong meeting with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Thune and his wife helped defuse some of the tension in the relationship. Those strains have loomed as a problem for Thune as he vies to lead the GOP in a possible Trump second term, and shows how the complicated politics of the party and the uncertain election are pushing the onetime antagonists to mend fences.”

Said Thune: “I think we have an understanding, and it’s professional.”