US Senate retirements give Trump a chance to show influence

Five Senate Republicans are not running for re-election next year, giving Trump an opportunity to cement his mark on the party.

When Missouri’s Roy Blunt on Monday said he will not seek re-election in 2022, becoming the fifth Republican senator to announce his retirement, it came as a bit of a surprise. Blunt was a trusted member of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s inner circle and did not outwardly pick fights with former President Donald Trump, who praised him in an emailed statement on Tuesday saying: “I very much appreciate and respect the career of Senator Roy Blunt.” To top it off, 71-year-old Blunt was considered someone who would not have had much difficulty being re-elected in deeply Republican Missouri.