A Republican senator in the room who supports Thune said Daines tried to “stop himself” from talking about how much Donald Trump loved Thune, even sharing that Trump had called him to express his support for Thune.

In a statement to NBC News after the post was published, a spokesperson for Daines said: “This anonymously sourced story is false. Senator Daines told colleagues that President Trump liked Senator Thune, but she never said she supported him. Trump He confirmed that everyone in the race will know about it.”

Trump has never publicly endorsed anyone for the post, although his MAGA allies (including Elon Musk) launched a pressure campaign for one of the three candidates, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who was handily defeated during the vote.

Trump is known to be sensitive about unauthorized claims of his endorsement.