Tensions rise between GOP leader Thune, White House over stalled Trump agenda

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The Hill's Headlines (PM) — July 23, 2026

The Hill's Headlines (PM) — July 23, 2026

Tensions are rising between Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and President Trump over the Senate GOP’s inability to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act or emergency funding for the Pentagon at a critical moment during Trump’s second term.

At a rally in Marietta, Ga., on Wednesday, Trump fumed at the Senate’s failure to advance his agenda, telling a crowd: “We’re having a hard time in the Senate … it’s like the Senate is a place you send things when you want them to die.”

Then on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump’s “patience is running out” with Thune as he struggles to move the president’s agenda through the Senate.  

“The Senate needs to do its job,” she warned.

That criticism didn’t sit well with Thune, who appeared annoyed when a reporter asked about the press secretary’s comments.

“Maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes. Right? It’s 50 around here,” Thune shot back.

“Instead of pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats,” Thune added. “And if there are Republicans they think are gettable, get on the phone.”

Thune’s allies rushed to his defense and criticized the White House for undercutting the Senate GOP leader publicly.

“I have 1000 percent confidence in Thune, and anybody in the White House who thinks he’s not a good leader isn’t qualified for their job,” Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) declared in response to the White House criticism.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) — who voted against the SAVE America Act when the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)........

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