Trump Threatens Tillis With Primary Challenge

[Voluntarist]

Tillis becomes third GOP senator to oppose Trump’ s big, beautiful bill

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R) announced after a meeting with Senate GOP leaders and colleagues Saturday afternoon that he will vote “no” on both the motion to proceed and final passage of the Republican megabill to implement President Trump’s agenda because of deep cuts to federal Medicaid funding.

Tillis said he wants Senate Republican leaders to drop their plan to lower the cap on healthcare provider taxes and instead embrace the Medicaid language passed by the House last month, which would cut much less federal funding in the program.

“Oh no. The data hasn’t changed so I got to vote no,” he said.

The North Carolina Republican said Senate leaders should return to “starting with the House baseline.”

“I’m going to vote no on motion to proceed and on final passage,” he said.

... Then Trump responds

Trump threatens to back Tillis primary challengers after ‘no’ vote on big, beautiful bill

President Trump went after Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in a Saturday night Truth Social post, threatening that he would back a primary challenger running against the North Carolina senator after Tillis came out against the GOP’s sprawling “big, beautiful bill.”

“Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against ‘Senator Thom’ Tillis,” Trump wrote. “I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America.”

The president slammed the North Carolina senator for his opposition to Trump’s pet piece of legislation.

“Looks like Senator Thom Tillis, as usual, wants to tell the Nation that he’s giving them a 68% Tax Increase, as opposed to the Biggest Tax Cut in American History,” Trump wrote in an earlier post. “Thom Tillis is making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!”

Tillis said in a statement earlier Saturday that he could not support the Senate version of the bill because of its “devastating” cuts to Medicaid.

“It would result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities,” he wrote. “This will force the state to make painful decisions like eliminating Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands in the expansion population, and even reducing critical services for those in the traditional Medicaid population.”

I guess Trump is pushing to fill the seat with a Democrat

North Carolina is the top pickup opportunity for Senate Democrats in 2026, and Tillis is a veteran of multiple tough races in the Tarheel State. In 2014, as speaker of the state House, he knocked off incumbent Kay Hagan in one of the closest Senate races of the cycle. Tillis then won narrowly in 2020 after his Democrat opponent, former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, got himself embroiled in a sexting scandal.

Tillis was already anticipating facing a strong Democratic opponent next year: Former Rep. Wiley Nickel has already announced a Senate bid, and popular former Gov. Roy Cooper is also mulling a run.

 

[spudea]

Tillis didn't want to cut Medicaid by reducing waste and fraud and kicking off ineligible people like illegal aliens. Get him out.

 

[acptulsa]

Tillis didn't want to cut Medicaid by reducing waste and fraud and kicking off ineligible people like illegal aliens. Get him out.

Or maybe he didn't think those things were worth the sacrifice. Did you check?

 

[spudea]

Or maybe he didn't think those things were worth the sacrifice. Did you check?

Tillis literally provided the reason in the first news link, "because of deep cuts to federal Medicaid funding". I bet Rand and Massie would say oh yeah let's keep Tillis in the Senate!

 

[69360]

He's out

Thom Tillis says he will retire following Trump attacks

The two-term North Carolina senator was expected to contest one of 2026's toughest races.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Voluntarist]

He's out

Well, there's one Senate seat that goes to the Democrats in 2026.

Edited to add:
And Tillis can now vote however the hell he wants to until January 3, 2027. I can't help but wonder how much of a thumb he's going to be in Trump's eye until then. His opposition to the Big Beauty's Medicaid cuts come from his perception of his electorate in North Carolina. He may be setting himself up for a gubernatorial run after he leaves the Senate. That'd make sense - as Governor, he wouldn't want those cuts.

Just realized something. The GOP has been harping on about how the Big Beauty will reduce the deficit - reducing the red ink, as it were, and increasing the black ink. That makes it the Big Black Beauty. And the GOP in the Senate and the House are carefully massaging the Big Black Beauty to get it over the finish line.

 

[Voluntarist]

Double post - sorry

 

[Voluntarist]

...

 

[Snowball]

First vote on this bill will fail in the Senate.
then Trump will turn green and pop his eyeballs out