Tillis assails Trump aides for risking president's legacy and policy

Sen. Thom Tillis stepped onto the Senate floor and delivered a blunt rebuke of the people advising President Donald Trump, saying he would do "everything I can to point out advice" given by aides who are "not considering the president's legacy," Roll Call reported. The two-term North Carolina Republican, who is not seeking reelection in 2026, framed his criticism as loyalty to the institution and to the president's long-term standing, while insisting Republicans can hold the Senate in next year's midterms.

Tillis's remarks have centered on concrete policy examples and personnel decisions he sees as dangerous or misguided. He told colleagues they were "not thinking about good policy" and that from time to time advisers were "fading far out of the realm of what I consider to be good, conservative, free-market ideology," citing ideas ranging from proposals on Greenland to caps on credit card interest and threats to Federal Reserve independence, according to Roll Call. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has publicly questioned a Trump proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10 percent, Roll Call noted.

The senator did not limit his critique to abstract principles. In a Senate-floor outburst captured by the Associated Press, Tillis declared, "I'm sick of stupid," as he decried advisers for "stoking a potential U.S. military takeover in Greenland." He also assailed pardons issued to some Jan. 6 defendants, saying, "The president, on the advice of somebody in the White House - and I hope I find out the name of that person - also pardoned criminals who injured police officers and destroyed this building," and pressing the question of accountability for those who damage democratic institutions, as AP reported.

Tillis has paired rhetoric with action. Fox News reported he has placed holds on future Homeland Security nominees and pledged to block Trump's pick to replace outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. He led an effort to hang a plaque honoring officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, a step House Republicans had resisted for years, the Washington Examiner said. Fox also highlighted a post Tillis made on X praising a grand jury decision not to indict certain lawmakers; Tillis wrote, quoted in Fox, that "political lawfare waged by either side undermines America's criminal justice system, which is the gold standard of the world," and added that "political lawfare is not normal, not acceptable, and needs to stop."

Tillis's stance has provoked mixed reactions inside his party. The Washington Examiner described his critiques as a calculated effort to be a "straight-shooting ally" willing to push back on opportunists; Sen. Lisa Murkowski shouted "Good speech, Tillis!" after he left the floor. The Hill reported Tillis was unbothered when President Trump labeled him a "loser," responding, "I am thrilled about that."

The White House did not respond to AP's request for comment, the Associated Press said. Tillis denies his increased candor stems from retirement, calling such suggestions "hysterical" and insisting, "I really want this president to be very, very successful," with part of that success tied to choosing the right counsel.

Beyond intra-party politics, Tillis's criticisms underscore policy debates with real consequences for communities. His opposition to last year's tax law because of Medicaid cuts, as reported by the Washington Examiner, and his warnings about meddling with Fed independence and credit markets highlight risks to economic stability and to health coverage for vulnerable populations. As Republicans wrestle over strategy and personnel, those policy disputes will shape access to care, emergency preparedness, and economic resilience for people across the country.