Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced he will not seek reelection, but the timing sparked a political drama after Donald Trump appeared to claim credit for pushing the senator out — only for Tillis to release text messages showing otherwise.
On Saturday night, Tillis sent Trump a text message telling him to “start thinking about my replacement,” minutes before Trump publicly declared that he would back a primary challenge against him.
The message, obtained by The Hill, was sent at 9:54 p.m. EDT,seven minutes before Trump’s post on Truth Social threatening to support a primary challenge against the senator.
“Ack Mr. President,” Tillis wrote. “Start thinking about my replacement.”
Tillis’s announcement on Sunday that he would not run for a third term in the Senate was a decision he says he had been considering for months — well before Trump’s veiled threat. The North Carolina senator’s departure complicates the GOP’s chances of holding the seat in what could be a tough midterm cycle.
After Tillis voted “no” late Saturday on a motion to proceed with Trump’s tax and spending bill — citing concerns over Medicaid cuts that would hurt his state by billions — Trump lashed out publicly, accusing Tillis of damaging North Carolina and calling him “a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!”
Following Tillis’s retirement announcement, Trump posted again on Truth Social: “Great News! ‘Senator’ Thom Tillis will not be seeking reelection,” as if he had only just learned of the decision.
But Tillis made clear that he had informed Trump and Senate leadership before any public announcement, and that his decision was not forced by Trump’s threat.
“President Trump and I talked last night. I left assuming that we had a meeting of the minds, and then that didn’t turn out,” Tillis told reporters Sunday night.
The senator also revealed he had notified Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) of his plans Saturday night.
Tillis’s pointed text message, released amid the back-and-forth, undercuts any narrative that Trump pressured him to step aside. Instead, Tillis indicated he had already made up his mind, and wanted Trump to begin preparing for his replacement.
On the Senate floor Sunday, Tillis delivered an emotional speech opposing the proposed federal cap changes on provider taxes in the bill, warning the cuts would hurt Medicaid beneficiaries in North Carolina.
“I am telling the president that you have been misinformed. You supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid,” Tillis said.
“I respect President Trump. I support the majority of his agenda. But I don’t bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk — and this bill puts them at risk,” he added.
