Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) listens to a question as Senate Republican leaders hold a press conference following their weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 21, 2026. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
President Donald Trump is turning all his guns on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), according to an insider.
Trump has grown increasingly infuriated that the Senate lacks the votes to pass his SAVE America Act package of voter restrictions — but he is also angry as the Senate struggles to pass everything from executive nominees to defense spending. And there's a key reason all that is happening that Thune has little power over.
According to Punchbowl News' Andrew Desiderio, a longtime Republican operative had a grim assessment of the situation.
“Trump knows full well that he can’t flip these votes," the operative said. "Hell, he personally came to the Capitol to berate Senate Republicans into voting for SAVE, and he left empty-handed. Look at who we’re talking about — Murkowski, McConnell, Tillis, and Collins — all members who he’s savaged at one point or another, and now he needs their help."
"All of this comes back to one thing: What happens when Trump can’t do something himself? He blames someone else," the operative added. "John Thune is Mr. Someone Else.”
Thune has clashed with not just Trump but with the House GOP leadership.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) pushed an aggressive reconciliation package this week that includes $60 billion to support Trump's war in Iran. However, Thune has vowed to put this bill on hold until a broader agreement on government spending is reached.