Rick Scott-a-palooza: Trump ally carves out role as key fixer
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Florida Sen. Rick Scott. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Florida's Rick Scott is carving out a unique role in the U.S. Senate as a top Trump fixer and liaison in Congress.
Why it matters: The White House is increasingly relying on Scott to help press Trump's agenda in the Senate and broker meetings between administration officials and key Republicans, according to senior White House officials.
- "Scott's our man in the Senate," one of those officials said.
Zoom in: In a sign of Scott's influence, he brought Elon Musk on Wednesday to the weekly closed-door lunches with Republican senators at the conference's steering committee, which Scott chairs.
- Other top administration lunch guests include chief of staff Susie Wiles, Trump's top foreign emissary Steve Witkoff and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump's shock-and-awe executive order bonanza.
- Scott also is tied to a political nonprofit group that kicked off a two-day summit Wednesday in Washington that included other senators, Trump allies and former campaign hands. Attorney General Pam Bondi was slated to make an appearance at a private reception.
- Every Wednesday night, Scott also hosts a dinner at his Washington home to bring together members of the administration and House Republicans.
Zoom out: "Everything I'm doing is to get a result," Scott told Axios. "You have to work with other people, so I'm doing a variety of things to move this conversation."
Between the lines: Scott's new role as Trump fixer and facilitator is rehabbing his image in the GOP conference.
- Scott led the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2022, when the GOP lost control of the chamber, and he clashed with then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Scott then unsuccessfully ran for leader. He was elected this year to lead the steering committee.
- "His past reputation —especially in 2022 when he ran NRSC— was a grandstander with no political sense, doing everything for himself," said a top Republican Senate insider, adding that now Scott is "taken seriously. Team player. Great at staying on message. Persuasive with other members."
