John Thune has been elected as the new leader of the Republicans in the US Senate, and thus takes over after Mitch McConnell, who has held the post since 2007.
The 63-year-old South Dakota senator, who is in his fourth term in the Senate, has promised to work closely with Trump despite the differences of opinion the two have had over the years.
Like McConnell, Thune comes from the party's more conservative wing. He has held the position of Republican whip – a high-ranking position within the party – since 2019.
Senators John Cornyn from Texas and Rick Scott from Florida challenged John Thune for the post of Republican majority leader.
The Republicans regained control of the Senate in connection with last week's election, where the party won 53 out of a total of 100 seats.
