Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) warned President Donald Trump that his "big, beautiful bill" could be his "Obamacare" and lead to voter backlash, and said he's about to start a war against Trump's staff.
Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper on Wednesday, Tillis confessed that he tried to warn the president of what he felt was a disastrous bill that would hurt Republicans in 2026.
When Democrats passed the landmark Affordable Care Act, Republicans used it as a massive political attack in the 2010 elections, resulting in a bloodbath for the president's party. Polls show that Americans have grown to appreciate the ACA, but Tillis is uncertain that the same will be the case for Trump's bill. Current polls indicate that only 35% of Americans support the Trump budget bill.
“As I told the president, if we don’t get this right, he’s probably going to have two of the most miserable years of his life if Democrats take the gavels in the House. And I’m trying to avoid that,” Tillis said.
The interview marks the first since Tillis announced his retirement amid the budget debates.
“I told the president, I really do believe it could be his Obamacare,” Tillis continued. “I think it’s politically just devastating.”
Tillis told CNN that Trump would call out "unnamed White House staffers" who he thinks didn't fully understand the realities of the bill. He specifically cited the cuts to Medicaid. For a time, Trump denied that there would be any cuts to Medicaid.
"I don’t have a problem with President Trump. I got a problem with some of the people I consider to be amateurs advising him. And I want to make it very clear to them: When you act like the president when he’s out of the room, you don’t impress me,” Tillis continued while speaking to Tapper.
When asked about his plans for the next 18 months in office, Tillis threatened he would go after some of these Trump "amateurs."
“I am going to hold some of these people accountable, who I think are shielding him, who do not understand the legislative process, certainly do not understand the executive. And they’re the biggest risk to his legacy,” Tillis told Tapper.
Tillis also noted that once Trump threatened him with a primary, he sent a private text message to the president.
“I told the president in another text: ‘Now’s the time to start looking for my replacement because I don’t deal with that kind of bulls---," said Tillis.
