Donald Trump and Melania Trump with Senate Majority Leader John Thune on January 8, 2025 (Wikimedia Commons)
President Donald Trump’s refusal to work cooperatively with the Senate has caused many to complain that it has become a “circular firing squad.” Now he has refused to endorse his Senate Majority Leader, John Thune of South Dakota, for reelection — and Thune sarcastically slapped him back.
"Alright,” Thune said when confronted about Trump’s betrayal, according to Punchbowl. “Well, that’s nice of him. I GUESS. I don’t know what do you say on that. That’s a decision that’s made by my colleagues!"
Earlier on Wednesday, The Hill reported that Senate Republicans are conflicted on how to handle their wayward president.
"GOP senators are divided over whether to cut short the five-week break, which would take vulnerable Republican incumbent Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Jon Husted (Ohio) and Dan Sullivan (Alaska) away from the campaign trail," The Hill wrote. "They’re also at odds over whether to dive into what Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) warned would be a 'risky' attempt to pass a budget package that contains billions of dollars for an unpopular foreign conflict, as well as funding for farmers and election-related reforms."
The report added, "Looming over it all are the fast-approaching midterms and festering frustration among some Republicans about the curveballs being thrown by the president. Trump and his allies are pushing hard for the Senate to vote as soon as next week on a budget resolution to unlock the process to advance a $95 billion proposal drafted by the House to help cover the costs of the Iran war — even though Thune warned last week that such a proposal doesn’t have 50 Republican votes to advance in the Senate."
Trump is upset with Thune because the Senate Majority Leader has refused to focus on Trump’s voter suppression bill, the SAVE America Act, which he admitted as far back as February 2026 does not have the votes to pass.
