Over his four years in office, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) has gradually become President-elect Donald Trump’s staunchest ally in the Senate.
It began with Tuberville as a candidate whose campaign stump speech included a pledge to have Trump’s back.
“I do believe God sent us, and elected, Donald Trump,” Tuberville said in 2020 during the campaign.
In that election, Tuberville repeatedly made overtures about supporting Trump. He would earn Trump’s endorsement over Jeff Session, who he defeated in the Republican primary runoff before unseating incumbent then-U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook).
However, Trump would lose the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
One of Tommy Tuberville’s first actions as a U.S. Senator was to vote against certifying Biden’s 2020 election win.
Despite being out of office, Tuberville remained loyal to Trump over the four years of Biden’s presidency, including over the past two years as Trump successfully waged a presidential campaign.
Tuberville was the first U.S. Senator to formally endorse Trump in that campaign, ahead of his U.S. Senate colleagues.
During Trump’s various sagas leading up to the 2024 election, Tuberville was right there for the former commander-in-chief.
Tuberville joined Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall to stand by Trump outside a Manhattan courtroom in May.
He led one of the press conferences outside the U.S. Supreme Court as it ruled against Colorado’s attempt to keep the former president off the ballot.
Tuberville also led a press conference demanding more Secret Service funding after the second assassination attempt.
Immediately after Trump won earlier this month, Tuberville was the first Senator to support U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for attorney general. He was also one of the most outspoken in his support of Pete Hegseth for defense secretary.
Last week, Tuberville threatened accountability for his Senate colleagues who failed to vote to confirm Trump’s nominees.
“You’re finding all the swamp creatures coming out right now,” Tuberville said during an appearance on Fox Business Network. “Everybody’s got an opinion up here, but at the end of the day, President Trump was elected by an enormous vote, and he deserves a team around him that he wants. It’s not us to determine that.”
Tuberville’s fidelity to the president-elect could be vital over the next few months, as some believe some of Trump’s Cabinet picks face an uphill battle for confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
