Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican, is accustomed to making headlines. In 2014 when she was elected to the House of Representatives, she was heralded as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. She represents New York’s 21st congressional district. Stefanik was the first Republican to win the district. She unseated a Democrat who held the seat since 1993. She’s impressive.

Stefanik was elected by her colleagues to become the House Republican conference chairwoman in May 2021 after Liz Cheney lost her mind and was kicked out of that position. The rise of Elise Stefanik in the ranks of House leadership would likely not have happened if she had not embraced Donald Trump as fully as she did after once being a Trump skeptic. She became one of Trump’s most loyal supporters. At the time, CNN noted that not even Liz Cheney’s family history in the GOP could save her after she came down with a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

The New York congresswoman’s rise within the party and embrace of Trump in recent years represents an evolution that mirrors that of her party, which coalesced behind Trump and remains loyal to him even with the former President no longer in office and after he attempted to overturn the last presidential election and incited a deadly attack on the US Capitol.

The GOP’s decision to elevate Stefanik and reject Cheney makes clear that Trump is still in the driver’s seat of the party and illustrates the consequences that Republicans, even those who have been in leadership positions or have a storied family history in the GOP, can face if they choose to vocally oppose the former President.

The point being that Trump was still the acknowledged leader of the Republican Party after leaving office and even after the events of January 6. Stefanik, when she endorsed Trump for the 2024 nomination, said the same thing – Trump is the leader of the party.

In statements to the New York Times and Breitbart News, the No. 3 House Republican said she is “proud” to endorse Trump for 2024 and that it is “very clear” he is still the leader of the Republican Party. Trump is widely expected to announce another run for president on Tuesday, Nov. 15, though some of his top advisers are cautioning him to delay a campaign launch because of the disappointing midterm election results and failure of Trump-endorsed candidates to win key races.

“Republican voters determine who is the leader of the Republican Party and it’s very clear President Trump is the leader of the Republican party. What the media fails to report is that we just won the midterms and flipped the House,” Stefanik told Breitbart News in a statement.

“I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President in 2024. I fully support him running again. Under his presidency, America was strong at home and abroad, our economy was red hot, our border was secure, our neighborhoods were safe, our law enforcement was respected, and our enemies feared us,” Stefanik told Breitbart News.

She continued, “We cannot afford another four years of Joe Biden’s failed policies that have led to the inflation crisis, border crisis, and crime crisis. It is time for Republicans to unite around the most popular Republican in America, who has a proven track record of conservative governance. Poll after poll shows that President Trump would defeat any Republican challenger by massive margins, and would beat Joe Biden if the election were held today. President Trump has always put America First, and I look forward to supporting him so we can save America.”

She’s not wrong. Trump is still considered by a majority of Republicans to be the head of the party. However, in my opinion, there’s a timing issue here. It isn’t clear to me why she made her endorsement right now. Was she asked or did she just randomly volunteer it? If she volunteered her endorsement, was she asked to do so by Team Trump? It comes at the time when Trump announced he’ll make a big announcement on November 15. That is widely assumed to be his announcement that he’s running for president in 2024.

The endorsement also comes at a time that Trump is turning on fellow Republicans, two, in particular, that are at the top of the list of potential 2024 primary candidates. Trump is going Defcon 4 on Governor Ron DeSantis and Governor Glenn Youngkin. Trump is furious that both Republican governors are experiencing huge successes and he isn’t getting much attention. DeSantis just turned Florida into a solidly red state and Youngkin made heroic inroads for Republicans in Virginia last year. Trump wants credit for both of their victories but he is doing so by turning people off. And, when stories surfaced that he was lashing out at those around him for encouraging him to endorse candidates like Mehmet Oz, he denied it.

Given all that has happened from Election Night until today, many people, including me, think Trump should wait and make his big announcement after the December 6 run-off for the Georgia Senate seat. Trump is the reason Herschel Walker is running and he should not be taking focus off that election just to put himself in the spotlight. The race in Georgia is crucial if Republicans are to take back the majority in the Senate. We shouldn’t even have to be having this conversation but here we are. One election at a time, please. Let’s get the midterm elections all sorted out and then we can get serious about 2024.

I wish Stefanik had not jumped the gun. Does she want the distinction of being the first to endorse Trump for 2024? Did she do it at Trump’s request? It’s an unnecessary distraction. Trump needs to support Republicans now and stop trying to trash them on social media. I don’t think it’s going to have the results he’s looking for when all is said and done.