Trump blindsides GOP as leaders warn he's giving control of congress to the Dems

GOP senators were quite frustrated when, on Wednesday, June 17, President Donald Trump delayed the nomination of federal prosecutor Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence (DNI) in order to keep Acting DNI Bill Pulte in that position longer. That delay, according to The Hill's Alexander Bolton, underscores growing tensions between Trump and Senate Republicans.

"President Trump's relationship with key Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), is crumbling after repeated clashes over strategy on an array of issues," Bolton reports in The Hill. "The two sides are splitting further apart as the midterm election nears and GOP lawmakers fear the potential loss of both chambers of Congress. GOP senators say there has been a major loss of trust between the president and many members of their conference as the White House has repeatedly blindsided Thune and other Republican leaders."

Another source of frustration for Thune, Bolton notes, is Trump's decision to endorse far-right Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary for Texas' 2026 U.S. Senate race. Paxton won the nomination, and Thune isn't shy about saying that Cornyn would have had a much better shot against Democratic nominee James Talarico.

Cornyn told The Hill, "In my case, there was no real reason given my support for the president's agenda. When he endorsed my primary opponent, people realized you could never do enough to stop the president from endorsing your primary opponent. I think that destroyed what remained of any kind of trust. I think that changed the playing field in a way where you see a lot more what I would call transactional relationships as opposed to one based on trust."

Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) warns fellow Republicans that Trump is making it easier for Democrats to flip either or both branches of Congress in the 2026 midterms.

Tillis told The Hill, "When we're five months out from a major election (when) we historically have headwinds, you've got to be pitch-perfect and you got to execute with precision. We can't surprise the president and the administration cannot surprise us. Every time we do that between now and November, we're diminishing our chances of holding our majorities."

This Wednesday, June 24, according to Bolton, Trump "will have a chance to discuss his differences with Republican senators in person" and address the Steering Republican Committee at the invitation of its chairman, Sen. Rick Wilson (R-Florida).

"Republican senators are growing more and more frustrated over Trump's unrelenting calls to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, which would require people to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote and to show photo ID when voting, despite the fact that it has already failed five times on the floor," Bolton notes. "Trump surprised Republicans again when he posted on social media Wednesday morning that he would not sign an extension of FISA's enhanced surveillance authorities unless the SAVE America Act is attached to it — something that is a complete nonstarter with Republicans."

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