Donald Trump and Melania Trump with Senate Majority Leader John Thune on January 8, 2025 (Wikimedia Commons)
GOP Senators are growing frustrated as Donald Trump continues to feud with incumbent members ahead of the midterms, with lawmakers telling NOTUS that the conflict means the party is "wasting money."
Trump has long held his influential endorsements over the heads of elected Republicans and candidates to make sure that they stay loyal and push his agenda. In recent months, Trump has escalated his feuds with various Republican senators, setting the stage for contentious primary challenges in a midterm cycle when the Senate majority is increasingly at risk.
"In a matter of months, Trump has turned on Sen. Bill Cassidy (who’s facing a strong primary challenger), Sen. Susan Collins (who the president said should 'never be elected again') and Sen. Thom Tillis (who’s since opted for retirement), all of whom were or are up for reelection in 2026," NOTUS detailed in its report from Wednesday. "Trump has also refused to help embattled Sen. John Cornyn, who’s facing a primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, despite open pleas from Republicans for the president to endorse the sitting incumbent."
The Texas race, in particular, has emerged as one of the nastier primaries in the GOP this cycle. Paxton, whose resume as state attorney general is plagued with scandal, has often polled ahead of other candidates, prompting concern that his checkered past could help hand Democrats a major upset.
In response to Trump's feuds, Senate Republican leaders have opted to stick behind their incumbent candidates. According to NOTUS, the biggest reason cited is the money that will be wasted during contested primary races, which could be better spent in the general elections to help protect the party's majority.
“It’s a huge mistake,” Tillis, an outspoken critic of Trump since opting against reelection, told NOTUS. “I don’t like spreading out our money. Now, we’re going to be wasting money in general elections because we’ve got a conference at odds with the president.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been in contact with the president often about the Texas race, warning him that a Paxton candidacy would jeopardize their chances of holding the seat.
“I’m probably not the right person to ask that question," Thune told reporters when asked why Trump had not listened to him yet.