Trump torches Tillis…
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina stunned Washington Sunday by announcing he won’t seek reelection, just a day after defying his party and voting against President Trump’s sweeping agenda bill.
One of only two Republicans to break ranks, Tillis had voiced alarm over deep Medicaid cuts and their impact on North Carolina families. The move drew swift backlash from Trump, who warned Tillis was “making a BIG MISTAKE” and pledged to meet with potential primary challengers “in the coming weeks.”
But the 64-year-old senator sounded unfazed. In a brief statement, Tillis said stepping away “was not a hard choice,” adding that it was time to “put family first.”
“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,” he said.
“Great News! “Senator” Thom Tillis will not be seeking reelection,” Trump shared on TRUTH Social Sunday evening.
Tillis told reporters in the Capitol later Sunday that he had informed Trump on Saturday night he wasn’t going to seek reelection. “I left assuming that we had a meeting of the minds, and then that didn’t turn out so,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Tillis’ announcement “unfortunate,” but said it was “obviously something I think that he’d been thinking about for a while and just finally decided that was the best decision for him and his family, so I respect the decision.”
Senate Republicans are edging toward a final vote on President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” but one procedural gauntlet still stands in the way.
After hours of heated debate that stretched from Sunday afternoon into the early hours of Monday, lawmakers now brace for the infamous “vote-a-rama” — a legislative free-for-all where senators can offer unlimited amendments, forcing vote after vote in a political endurance test before the main event.
This story is developing…