Donald Trump began a campaign of quieter endorsements long before he announced his bid to retake control of the White House.

Early in 2021, Trump, who lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden, and his supporters, inspired to attack the Capitol to try to reverse the results of the 2020 elections, began laying the foundations for the support he would require from Congress to make a comeback.

Trump won the support of GOP lawmakers by schmoozing, strategizing, and wine-and-dining them. He hosted lavish dinners lasting three hours at his private club, held telephone town-hall fundraising, and flew on his private jet.

Trump received the endorsement of 120 House Republicans, and almost half of Republicans in the Senate by the time the Iowa 2024 Caucus was held this month. After Trump’s victory in the New Hampshire Primary, the number increased even more on Wednesday. A solid majority of Republicans from both chambers of Congress endorsed him.

After Trump’s New Hampshire win, Speaker Mike Johnson set the tone by saying: “It is past time for Republicans to unite behind President Trump.”

Trump has made a stunning turnaround, with his campaign being fueled not only by loyal supporters but also by Republicans elected to Congress. These lawmakers are either unwilling or unable stop Trump’s rise. This ensures that Trump will have no institutional barriers to his eventual nomination by the party and to a possible return to power.

Trump was amazed at the people who stood behind him in New Hampshire on election night, when he tried to knock out his last rival, Nikki Haley. He did this by displaying endorsements from South Carolina, Haley’s home state. He singled Sen. Tim Scott out, saying he must “really hate” Haley, former governor of the state.

The senator, who was once a Republican candidate for president, stood up to correct Trump and gushed: “I love you.”

Years in the making, the race to get endorsements was carefully orchestrated to give Trump official Washington legitimacy. Trump had been impeached twice by the House for his insurrection in the Capitol. Trump faces federal charges for defrauding the voters before the Capitol attack.

Trump, once facing pockets of opposition in Congress, has now won over virtually all segments of Republicans on Capitol Hill. From the House GOP leadership, including Whip Tom Emmer, who voted to certify Biden’s election, to Rep. Bob Good, the Virginia representative of the House Freedom Caucus who switched sides quickly last week after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended his campaign for the presidency.

Most Republicans in the Senate who were initially more vocal in their opposition to Trump are now joining in, with a few exceptions. Trump has even gained the support of a New York legislator in a House District that Biden won before.

The holdouts are now glaring, namely Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and a few other top Republican Senators who seem to be deeply hesitant about Trump’s return, but have not yet given him the thumbs up.

McConnell said, “I have no announcements to make regarding the presidential election. In fact, as you may remember, I’ve been largely out of it,” McConnell stated ahead of New Hampshire. McConnell had a harsh indictment against Trump in 2021. He blamed the defeated president of the Capitol attack. However, he voted to acquit Trump during the Senate impeachment trials.

McConnell may have indicated he’d support the Republican nominee but the same statement made by South Dakota Republican Senator John Thune to reporters on Wednesday at the Capitol is not usually good enough for Trump.

Trump will not accept a simple nod of approval. He wants an unqualified endorsement.

Some have called it “The Big E.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said that the moment is one of “true changes” for Republicans. We will “completely eliminate” any Republican unwilling to adapt to Trump’s policies.

She posted her comments on social media and wrote, “It is true!”

Trump has so far received the endorsements of 30 Republican Senators and 120 Republican Members of the House. This is far more than Haley, or DeSantis, the former congressman, who suspended his campaign following a disappointing Iowa finish. He later endorsed Trump.

Experts warn that democracies facing threats such as Trump’s attempt at overturning the 2020 election will have a greater chance of survival if the political parties defend the results of fair and free elections, rather than fueling false conspiracy theories about fraud, like Trump and his allies in Congress have done.

Trump continues to collect endorsements as he makes his way towards the GOP nomination.

Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the only senator to vote to convict Trump of both impeachments and the charge of inciting insurrection in the Capitol, lamented that “people want to get behind their nominee”.

Romney stated that “just like four years ago, and four years prior to that — people say some pretty strong words.” “And when he is nominated, people just kiss the ring,” said Romney.

You?

Romney replied, “Oh no, I won’t be doing that.”

Trump’s team claims that winning over holdouts was easier than it might seem. They insist there were no pressure campaigns and that Trump used carrots and sticks in his courting of lawmakers through phone calls and lengthy dinners at Mar-a-Lago or Bedminster.

Trump warned Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican senator, and Sen. Josh Hawley on Twitter to “be very careful” with their own campaigns. Hawley soon endorsed.

Cruz told AP he was “beaten to death” by Trump in 2016, when Trump verbally attacked the senator’s family and wife. He then made his way up to Trump Tower, where he became Trump’s strongest Senate ally.

Cruz stated that he would be Donald Trump’s strongest ally if he were to win reelection in November.

Brian Jack, former White House political director, remains Trump’s top liaison on Capitol Hill.

Jack, a senior advisor to the Trump campaign, stated that securing endorsements was “not difficult at all” given the hundreds and thousands of hours spent by President Trump in developing relationships and maintaining deep connections across the party.

After making the decision to support Trump, Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming said that she was no longer a Trump fan.