Trump threatens to back primary challenge against GOP Sen. Thom Tillis over 'big, beautiful bill' vote

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday attacked Sen. Thom Tillis for opposing the party’s sweeping domestic policy bill, threatening to meet with potential primary challengers to the North Carolina Republican.

Tillis, who faces re-election next year in a battleground state, was one of two Republicans, along with Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, to vote against advancing the “big, beautiful bill” in the Senate on Saturday evening.

“Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against ‘Senator Thom’ Tillis,” Trump wrote Saturday night. “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.”

Trump’s social media criticism came hours after Tillis said in a statement that he “cannot support this bill in its current form,” pointing to expected cuts to Medicaid he said would “result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities.”

Trump accused the two-term senator of grandstanding “in order to get some publicity for himself, for a possible, but very difficult re-election.”

“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, adding, “Thom Tillis is making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!”

Tillis is one of Democrats’ top targets for defeat in the 2026 midterm elections. He won his previous two Senate races by less than 2 percentage points.

Prior to Trump’s post, Tillis told reporters Saturday evening that he gave the president a heads up about his opposition during a call he characterized as “very professional” and “very respectful.”

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“I had a very good discussion with President Trump last night. I told him at that point that I had problems with the [Medicaid] implementation. And I said the House bill, I think, would be a good mark,” Tillis said. “I do believe the president is really focused on getting the tax portion of the bill done, and I support that, full stop. But it has evolved from a tax bill to one that includes health care and other things. And I said that in nontax areas, we have a problem.”

Asked if he was concerned about Trump endorsing a primary challenge to him, Tillis responded, “No.”

Trump has threatened to primary GOP lawmakers critical of him in the past, wielding his influence to unseat Republicans who voted to impeach him after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, including then-Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. Last week, two Trump advisers launched a super PAC aimed at removing Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., another frequent critic of the administration’s agenda.

But Trump hasn’t always followed through on the threats. For example, he stood down on a threat to back a primary challenger to Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., who endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential bid.

CORRECTION: (June 29, 2025, 8:02 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article misidentified the state Liz Cheney represented. It is Wyoming, not Utah.