Donald Trump has a sizable list of congressional Republicans whom he does not like. At the top of the list, of course, is Rep. Thomas Massie, followed closely by his fellow Kentuckian, Sen. Rand Paul.
But after Sen. Thom Tillis said he had no choice but to oppose his party’s megabill because of the damage it would do to his home state of North Carolina, the president quickly added the Republican senator to his list of intraparty foes. Tillis caved to party pressure earlier this year on Pete Hegseth’s defense secretary nomination, casting the deciding vote in the Pentagon chief’s favor, but on the inaptly named One Big Beautiful Bill Act, he stood his ground.
And Trump deemed that unacceptable.
The first furious anti-Tillis message was published to Trump’s social media platform on Saturday night. Thirteen minutes later, the president published another, announcing plans to meet with the incumbent’s would-be primary rivals. Sunday morning, Trump kept the online offensive going, writing, “Thom Tillis has hurt the great people of North Carolina. … Tillis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER! He’s even worse than Rand ‘Fauci’ Paul!”
Soon after, the North Carolinian announced that he was walking away from Capitol Hill altogether. NBC News reported:
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced Sunday that he would not run for re-election, one day after he drew President Donald Trump’s ire for opposing the party’s sweeping domestic policy package. The surprise decision opens up seat in battleground North Carolina that was already set to be one of the most hotly contested races of the 2026 midterms.
The president celebrated the developments in an online item in which he suggested Tillis isn’t actually deserving of the “senator” title, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee — led by Tillis’ ostensible allies and intraparty colleagues — issued a statement about his retirement announcement that didn’t make any effort to acknowledge his years of public service. Indeed, the NRSC didn’t even mention Tillis’ name at all.
With a year and a half remaining in his term, in other words, Tillis has basically achieved “pariah” status in his party, despite earning a reputation as a conservative Republican over the last decade in the Senate.
What’s more, stepping back, it was hard not to notice that while politicians have traditionally been punished for lying, Tillis was punished for telling the truth: The GOP megabill, if approved and implemented, really would cost his constituents dearly. His party didn’t want to hear these facts, and so the senator was effectively forced into retirement.
But a funny thing happens when lawmakers approach the end of their careers, and they no longer have to worry about electoral calculations: They’re suddenly freed to do as they please.
In Tillis’ case, he noted in his retirement announcement, “I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability.”
Hours later, the Republican delivered remarks on the Senate floor, slamming the GOP megabill in no uncertain terms, and shining a light on its Medicaid cuts. Tillis: What do I tell 663,000 people in two years, three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of medicaid because the funding's not there anymore, guys? “It is inescapable this bill will betray the promise Donald Trump made,” Tillis said. “I’m telling the president that you have been misinformed. You supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid.” He added, “What do I tell 663,000 people in two years, three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore?” Ordinarily, when looking at Republican senators who are on the fence about their own party’s plans, attention inevitably turns to Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins. As things stand, and looking ahead to the next 18 months, the political world might want to start keeping an eye on Tillis, too.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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