President Donald Trump has openly questioned whether Senate Majority Leader John Thune is the right person to lead Senate Republicans, as the SAVE America Act remains stalled despite months of pressure from the White House.
Asked about Thune's warning that Republicans do not have enough votes to pass the legislation, Trump responded: «Well, that's too bad for him... I mean, that's too bad for him and too bad for the Republican Party.» He added: «He's got the votes... He should get it done. He should be able to get it done.»
Trump had largely spared Thune from public criticism while the bill lagged, even as he turned support for the legislation into a loyalty test for Republicans. The president's comments signaled growing frustration. When asked whether Thune was still the right man to lead the Senate GOP, Trump replied: «Well, we're going to find out, and I'll let you know.»
The exchange exposed a widening rift between the two most powerful figures in the Republican Party. Thune, who replaced Sen. Mitch McConnell as the top Senate Republican, has repeatedly argued that a bloc of Republican senators never supported the legislation and that Senate Democrats overwhelmingly oppose it. He says the votes simply are not there.
Thune responded to Trump's comments as he walked to and from the Senate floor. Asked about the president's equivocation, Thune said the decision about his leadership was not his to make. «I don't know what you say on that... That's a decision made by my colleagues.» He also dismissed Trump's claim that Republicans could pass the bill, saying: «That must be a different form of math.»
The SAVE America Act has been tested several times in different forms and has not once received the votes needed to pass. Thune has also said the votes are not there to eliminate the legislative filibuster, a step Trump has pushed for throughout his second term.
Some Senate Republicans have rallied to Thune's defense. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas said it is wrong to blame Thune, insisting the impasse is not his fault. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina credited Thune with navigating an almost impossible situation, adding that he hoped senators who decide leadership in the next Congress would show independence and courage.
Thune has continued to move major Trump-backed legislation and has kept the Senate on a record pace for confirming nominees, according to his colleagues. He has also had to manage vulnerable Republicans taking difficult political votes and contend with Democratic opposition to Trump's agenda.
Despite the public friction, Thune intends to seek another term as the top Republican. Senate GOP leaders are elected by their colleagues, not by the president. Thune won the job after a crowded race against Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, and so far his colleagues continue to back him.
Scott, who previously ran against Thune, said he had no intention of running for the top job again and acknowledged the difficulty of the role. «John's a smart guy,» Scott said. «He is working really hard. So I think he shouldn't — you know, it's tough to be the leader.» He added: «We've got a lot of issues we haven't addressed, so it's hard. I assumed it was gonna be hard.»
