Don Jr. and Eric Trump savaged leading Republicans for not defending their father, and got an immediate response

• Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump slammed leading Republicans on Twitter for purportedly not standing up for their father.
• This week, President Donald Trump has baselessly claimed victory in the 2020 election and repeated baseless accusations about voter fraud — and not all Republicans have come forward to back him.
• In response, Donald Jr. accused top Republicans of "cower[ing] to the media mob" while Eric tweeted: "Have some backbone."
• Soon after, Gov. Nikki Haley and Sens. Tom Cotton and Rick Scott all tweeted about the importance of preventing electoral fraud.
• Follow the election's live results here.

President Donald Trump's older sons, Eric and Donald Jr., slammed top Republicans on Twitter on Thursday, accusing them of not sufficiently defending their father as election results come in.

Donald Jr. accused "2024 GOP hopefuls" of a "total lack of action," while Eric suggested that those who did not stand up for Trump were "sheep." In response, several top Republicans appear to have stepped up to support the president.

The Trump sons' rallying cries came a few hours before the president made a White House speech filled with unsubstantiated accusations of voter fraud and complaints about "phony polls." The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, and Georgia to contest their vote counts, though some have already been tossed out.

The lack of GOP support on these claims apparently irked the president's sons, who accused Republicans of cowardice and of prioritizing future political chances over defending their father.

Donald Jr. tweeted: "The total lack of action from virtually all of the '2024 GOP hopefuls' is pretty amazing.

"They have a perfect platform to show that they're willing & able to fight but they will cower to the media mob instead. Don't worry, @realDonaldTrump will fight & they can watch as usual!"

Eric also retweeted similar sentiments from former Republican congressional candidate Ronny Jackson, adding: "Where are Republicans! Have some backbone. Fight against this fraud. Our voters will never forget you if your [sic] sheep!"

Soon after the Trump sons published their tweets, three Republicans who are widely considered to be running for office in 2024 piped up. Several had not previously tweeted about the president's claims about the election.

Around 20 minutes after Donald Jr.'s tweet, Sen. Tom Cotton shared a link to the president's legal defense fund, adding: "All votes that are *legally* cast should be counted. There is NO excuse not to allow poll watchers to observe counting."

It is unclear if it was in response to Donald Jr.'s tweet, but Cotton's previous tweets during the election counting period had not mentioned the topic before and had consisted mainly of congratulating Republican winners. According to Business Insider's Jake Lahut, Cotton is laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential run.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley also tweeted around the same time: "We all owe @realDonaldTrump for his leadership of conservative victories for Senate, House, & state legislatures."

Read more: Legal problems galore await Donald Trump if he loses reelection and his presidential immunity

"He and the American people deserve transparency & fairness as the votes are counted. The law must be followed. We have to keep the faith that the truth will prevail."

Haley's motivation and prompt for the tweet are also unknown.

Earlier on Thursday, Donald Jr. had also singled Haley out — responding to a tweet critical of her lack of response by the right-wing activist Mike Cernovich — saying: "Everyone should be watching who is actually fighting this flagrant nonsense and who is sitting on the sidelines."

Florida Sen. Rick Scott also started tweeting about election integrity shortly after the Trump sons' tweets, though he did not mention the president or his claims outright.

On Thursday evening, Eric also shared a video of Reps. Jim Jordan and Scott Perry speaking in support of President Trump's legal challenges over the election count on Fox News. Eric called the two congressman "amazing" and added: "Unfortunately not everyone is born with spine."

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry were singled out in a retweet by Eric as exceptions for their signaled support.

The Trump sons' public shaming shows how highly prized loyalty is in the Trump administration.