Trump Threatens Primary Challenge Against Tillis Over Bill Vote

President Donald Trump issued a scathing rebuke of Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina on Truth Social Saturday, threatening to support primary challengers against the two-term senator over his opposition to his “Big Beautiful” spending bill.

The confrontation came as Senate leaders vote, scrambling to secure enough Republican support for the party-line legislation they hope to deliver to Trump’s desk by July 4.

Newsweek reached out to the White House and Tillis’ office via email on Saturday for comment.

Why It Matters

Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” represents his signature domestic policy initiative, combining massive tax cuts with significant spending on border security and defense while implementing substantial cuts to social safety net programs.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which is nonpartisan, estimates the House’s version would add $2.4 trillion to the nation’s deficit over the next decade, though Republicans dispute this calculation. The bill’s passage would fundamentally reshape federal spending priorities and tax policy, affecting millions of Americans across income levels.

The standoff highlights growing tensions within the Republican Party between Trump’s demands for loyalty and senators’ concerns about policy specifics affecting their home states. With Tillis facing reelection in 2026, Trump’s primary threat carries significant weight in a state the president won in three presidential elections.

What To Know

Vice President JD Vance arrived at the Capitol after 8 p.m. to potentially break a tie vote, but the bill’s fate remained uncertain as multiple GOP senators defected from party leadership.

Tillis joined Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson and Kentucky’s Rand Paul in voting “no,” while three additional Republican holdouts—Utah’s Mike Lee, Wyoming’s Cynthia Lummis, and Florida’s Rick Scott—continued negotiations with leadership.

Lee and Scott raised concerns about insufficient spending cuts and deficit reduction measures. Lee notably dropped a provision to sell public lands from the bill amid intraparty opposition.

Tillis cited concerns about Medicaid cuts that would cost North Carolina “tens of billions of dollars in lost funding” and force the state to eliminate coverage for hundreds of thousands of residents. The senator called for adopting the House’s “less drastic approach to Medicaid” and insisted he “cannot support this bill in its current form.”

The prolonged vote has featured intense behind-the-scenes negotiations, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Majority Whip John Barrasso, and other senior Republicans meeting with holdouts. Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski also created suspense by withholding her vote for nearly an hour before ultimately supporting the measure after securing concessions for her state.

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Saturday: “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! At the same time, he is unable to understand the importance of a Debt Extension, which Republicans gave to the Democrats just prior to the November 5th Election, because of its significance, and how important it was for the future of the U.S.A. Sadly, the Democrat Politicians probably won’t reciprocate on a Debt Extension because they’re nasty people who actually hate our Country. Tillis is also willing to throw the very important Tobacco Industry in North Carolina, “out the window,” for reasons nobody seems to understand. He loves China made windmills that will cost a fortune, ruin the landscape, and produce the most expensive Energy on Earth.”

He continued: “I can’t believe that the Great People of North Carolina, a State that I love and won all three times, and a State that I just brought back with money, blood, sweat, and tears, from the recent tragic floods, when Sleepy Joe Biden let them DROWN, right up until the end of that Administration, without doing anything — I was given an A+ Rating for the job we did in bringing it back, and Tillis, despite being a Republican, was MISSING IN ACTION — North Carolina will not allow one of their Senators to GRANDSTAND in order to get some publicity for himself, for a possible, but very difficult Re-Election. America wants Reduced Taxes, including NO TAX ON TIPS, NO TAX ON OVERTIME, AND NO TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY, Interest Deductions on Cars, Border Security, a Strong Military, and a Bill which is GREAT for our Farmers, Manufacturers and, Employment, in general. Thom Tillis is making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!”

Trump later posted on Truth Social: “Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against “Senator Thom” Tillis. 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said in a statement on Saturday: I did my homework on behalf of North Carolinians, and I cannot support this bill in its current form.”

He added: “It would result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities. This will force the state to make painful decisions like eliminating Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands in the expansion population, and even reducing critical services for those in the traditional Medicaid population.”

What Happens Next

Trump indicated he will meet with potential primary challengers to Tillis “over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina.”

Senate leadership faces the immediate challenge of securing additional votes to pass the megabill, with the July 4 deadline approaching rapidly.