Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, inflamed Trump in December 2020 by criticizing the effort of House GOP lawmakers to overturn the results of the presidential election, saying the plan “would go down like a shot dog.”
An infuriated Trump responded by bashing Thune, calling him a "RINO" or “Republican in Name Only,” on Twitter.
“RINO John Thune, ‘Mitch's boy’, should just let it play out. South Dakota doesn't like weakness. He will be primaried in 2022, political career over!!!" Trump wrote.
>https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/trump-allies-have-knives-out-sen-thune-he-embarks-re-n1287446