Trump threatens to support a primary challenger against GOP senator for opposing 'big, beautiful bill'

Fox News

19 hours ago

President Donald Trump on Saturday said he is looking for a GOP candidate to mount a primary challenge against Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., after the lawmaker announced he would not support the president's "big, beautiful bill."
"Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against 'Senator Thom' Tillis," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"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," he continued. "Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Tillis, who is up for re-election in 2026, came out against Trump's spending bill earlier on Saturday over concerns about deep cuts to Medicaid.
The senator vowed not to support the measure through a procedural hurdle needed to kick off a marathon of debate and amendment voting that would eventually lead to a vote on the measure's final passage.
As he was leaving the Senate GOP's closed-door lunch on Saturday, the North Carolina lawmaker said he has a "great relationship" with his colleagues, but that he could not support the colossal bill.
"We just have a disagreement," he said. "And, you know, my colleagues have done the analysis, and they're comfortable with the impact on their states. I respect their choice. It's not a good impact in my state, so I'm not going to vote on the motion to proceed."
The Senate cleared the hurdle late Saturday to start debate on the bill by a 51-49 vote. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was another Republican who joined Tillis in voting no.
"Did Rand Paul Vote 'NO' again tonight? What's wrong with this guy???" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Senate Republicans hold a slim 53-47 majority and can only afford to lose three votes. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said earlier that she would help advance the bill through the first step, but was leaning against voting to pass the bill's final passage unless the legislation was "further changed."
Collins and other initial GOP holdouts, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., voted to at least advance the legislation through the first key procedural hurdle.
The latest version of the bill pushed back the provider rate crackdown by one year and also added another $25 billion for a rural hospital stabilization fund over the next five years.
During a closed-door lunch earlier this week, Tillis reportedly warned that North Carolina could lose as much as $40 billion in Medicaid funding if the changes were codified. He is also planning to unveil further analysis on the impact of Medicaid cuts on his state that he said no one in the "administration or in this building" has been able to refute.
"The president and I have talked, and I just told him that, 'Look, if this works for the country, that's great. And if my other colleagues have done extensive research and concluded it's different in their states, I respect that,'" he said. "We just have a disagreement based on the implementation in our respective states."