GOP senators mad at Trump for public shaming colleague: 'Deserves better'

Senate Republicans may have overwhelmingly backed President Donald Trump's tax cut and Medicaid-cutting megabill — but they are grumbling about how Trump turned his anger against one of the most outspoken Republicans who opposed it, The Hill reported on Tuesday.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who was facing one of the most difficult paths to re-election next year, has repeatedly condemned the legislation, saying state legislatures like the one he used to be in charge of will be left holding the bag for the bill's brutal cuts to health care and food assistance. In the process, he decided to retire from the Senate, not seeking another term, and creating an open seat guaranteed to be hotly contested.

But Trump has upped his attacks on Tillis, proclaiming that "Tillis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!" and he is "even worse than Rand 'Fauci' Paul!" He also said Tillis was “willing to throw the very important Tobacco Industry in North Carolina ‘out the window.’”

Per the new report, Senate Republicans are frustrated at how all this played out, as they like Tillis personally, believe he was an effective legislator, and are anxious now that they'll have to defend his seat in an open race.

“I do think it was totally unnecessary,” said one senator who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal by Trump, adding that Tillis had negotiated extensively in good faith with the White House to try to make the bill into something he could vote for. “I just don’t think it really achieves anything good to come after somebody just because they disagree with you.”

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) agreed, saying “It’s just unfortunate because he was a real asset here in the Senate,” and “Tom’s a solid guy and I’m very sorry to hear he decided to retire.”

The scramble for the GOP to find a candidate for the North Carolina Senate seat has yet to begin, but there are rumors his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who was born in the state and formerly co-chaired the Republican National Commitee, could launch a campaign.

Tillis is not the only rift in the GOP coalition caused by the megabill; tech billionaire Elon Musk, who helped fund Trump's campaign in 2024 and served as a key adviser through his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force, fell out with Trump over the bill's massive impact on the national debt, calling it a "disgusting abomination" and founding a third party to oppose the GOP in retaliation for its passage.