Senate Republicans Push Back After Karoline Leavitt Criticizes Thune Over Legislative Stalemate
Key Takeaways
- •White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly criticized Senate Majority Leader John Thune, stating that patience was running out and urging the Senate to pass President Trump's legislative agenda.
- •Senator Thune responded by suggesting the White House should help secure votes rather than fault Republicans, noting that Democrats are the ones blocking legislation on the Senate floor.
- •Multiple Republican senators, including Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, and John Kennedy, publicly defended Thune's leadership amid the White House's criticism.
- •The SAVE America Act is a central source of discord, with senators expressing frustration over the difficulty of uniting the Republican conference behind the measure.
- •The dispute underscores that even with a Senate majority, party leaders cannot compel individual senators to vote for a president's preferred legislation.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and several Republican senators pushed back against White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt after she criticized the Senate’s handling of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, according to new reports.
Tensions between Senate GOP leadership and Trump’s White House have intensified over the chamber’s failure to pass the president’s legislative priorities, especially the controversial SAVE America Act, The Hill reported Friday.
Leavitt reportedly set off the response this week when she told reporters that “patience is running out” with Thune and said the Senate should “do its job.”
Thune later answered with a pointed reply.
“Maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes,” Thune said. “Instead of pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats.”
Thune added, “And if there are Republicans they think are gettable, get on the phone.”
The exchange underscored a basic constraint facing Senate leaders: even with party control, major legislation still depends on assembling enough votes from individual senators, including members who may object to a president’s preferred bill.
Other Senate Republicans also came to Thune’s defense.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) responded with criticism directed at the 28-year-old Leavitt, telling reporters, “I have 1000 percent confidence in Thune, and anybody in the White House who thinks he's not a good leader isn't qualified for their job.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who opposed Trump’s SAVE America Act, also backed Thune. Asked whether his leadership position was at risk, Collins said, “I think he enjoys well-deserved support from the caucus.”
Politico also reported Friday on the growing strain, writing that Republicans were rallying around Thune while voicing frustration over the SAVE America Act.
“This idea that he can just command members of the Republican conference to get in line is just a fantasy,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). “I don’t know who it was that sold the president on this idea, that this was obtainable, but it’s creating a circular firing squad for Republicans.”
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) told Politico, “John can’t put a gun to people’s heads and make them vote a particular way.”