Tillis told Trump to 'start thinking about my replacement' before primary threat
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told President Trump to start looking for his replacement in the upper chamber prior to the president’s missive saying that he would start interviewing candidates to primary him.
According to a text shared with The Hill between Trump and Tillis, the North Carolina lawmaker told the president as much at 9:54 p.m. EDT on Saturday — seven minutes before Trump’s Truth Social post.
“Ack Mr. President,” Tillis said in the message. “Start thinking about my replacement.”
Tillis made waves on Sunday afternoon by announcing his decision not to seek reelection, a move that he had mulled for months. By not running for a third term in office, the North Carolina Republican complicates the GOP’s ability to keep hold of the seat in what could be a difficult midterm cycle.
That announcement came after Tillis cast a “no” vote late Saturday night on the motion to proceed to Trump’s mammoth tax and spending bill over concerns about how Medicaid cuts would impact his state.
His opposition seemed to enrage Trump, who on Sunday afternoon, prior to Tillis's announcement but after the text message, said Tillis had harmed North Carolina and called him a “a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!”
The North Carolina senator has maintained that the provisions spell political and policy disaster, with his state set to lose out on more than $30 billion as a result.
“I didn’t really start this Congress assuming I was going to run for reelection, but you’ve got to work hard and keep your options open. That’s what I did, and last night felt like a good night to pull the trigger,” Tillis told reporters at the Capitol on Sunday night, maintaining that the latest spat over the “big, beautiful bill” wasn’t the deciding factor in his decision.
“President Trump and I talked last night. I left assuming that we had a meeting of the minds, and then that didn’t turn out,” he continued. “This was something I’d been contemplating so it just seemed like the right time to let him know that I wouldn’t be running again.”
Tillis had pointed to the text to reporters, maintaining that he made his decision before Trump lobbed the primary threat in his direction. The senator also informed Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) of his decision on Saturday night.
Tillis's comments to reporters came minutes after he delivered an impassioned speech on the floor, telling his colleagues and the president that they are making a massive mistake with their plan to lower an existing federal cap on provider taxes. That would incur a deeperer cut to Medicaid than the freeze in the House-passed measure that Tillis preferred.
“I am telling the president that you have been misinformed. You supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid,” he said.
“I respect President Trump. I support the majority of his agenda. But I don’t bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk — and this bill puts them at risk,” he added in the ensuing expanded remarks to reporters.
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