House Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) sees an advantage in wrangling the tiny House GOP majority this year, despite having a historically narrow margin and fewer members than last time: President Trump.

The Trump factor in whipping GOP votes is both carrot and stick: Republicans are eager to advance Trump’s ambitious legislative agenda — and they are also wary of getting on the president’s bad side.

“I’m pretty sure you’re not going to want to be the one in your district where the president shows up to tell everybody you’re the one blocking the advancement of his agenda,” Emmer said in an interview last week at the House Republican issues conference at Trump’s resort in Doral, Fla.

Emmer said Trump will be a “significant force” in keeping the House GOP together, pointing to his influence in making sure Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was reelected on the first ballot on Jan. 3. Trump called two initial holdouts, Reps. Keith Self (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), and got them to switch their votes.

The president’s message to House Republicans at the retreat, Emmer said, was “classic Trump.”

“You're going to have differences of opinion, but when we get to the moment, just vote yes. You just got to get this stuff done,” Emmer said of the president’s message.

While Trump once helped to derail Emmer’s short-lived bid for Speaker after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) ouster by calling the whip a “Globalist RINO,” he now heaps praise on Emmer.

“Tom is incredible,” Trump told House Republicans at the retreat. “He’s done an unbelievable job. I’ve become friendly........

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