WASHINGTON—President Trump wants Republicans in Congress to do exactly as they are told.
But recently he has been hearing a lot of “no” from John Thune, the Senate’s top Republican.
That has led to open conflict as Trump tries to push through a voter-ID law that he has said is crucial to Republicans’ winning the midterms but lacks enough support to pass. It is one of a series of disputes that have intensified pressure on Thune, the lanky South Dakota conservative who finds himself in an increasingly difficult political position just months ahead of the elections.
Trump’s impatience boiled over Wednesday when he issued a social-media missive that disrupted bipartisan efforts to confirm Jay Clayton quickly as the director of national intelligence—and block Trump’s ally Bill Pulte from taking the job. Trump also blew up negotiations with Democrats to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. To make matters more complicated, Trump bundled both with the contentious voting bill.
“To add a slight bit of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it,” Trump posted on social media.
Thune has had to deliver a series of unwelcome news to Trump. Before they agreed to pass a recent $70 billion border-security package, Senate Republicans rejected funding for Trump’s White House ballroom and forced the administration to scratch a $1.8 billion fund that could have been used to compensate Trump’s political allies. Also, lawmakers loudly objected to Pulte in the role as interim director, saying he lacked national-security experience and airing concern that he would politicize the position.
Trump has privately complained about Thune—in particular about his inability to pass the stalled SAVE America Act—but he personally likes him, according to White House officials. While Trump harps on the bill, he hasn’t criticized Thune publicly. Nor has he called for the removal of Thune as leader. Such a move would trigger a revolt from members, one Republican senator warned.
Thune is widely liked among Senate Republicans for his forthright, gentlemanly manners and affable demeanor, and he is fiercely defended by colleagues. But Trump sees his commitment to Senate norms as an indicator that he lacks the toughness to get things done through raw political muscle, according to people who have followed Trump’s relationship with Thune.
A person close to the president said Trump has been angered by being told “no” repeatedly by Thune instead of “no, let me try.” A defender of Thune said Trump hasn’t succeeded in winning over needed senators.
While Thune hasn’t backed down, he has tried to avoid a war of words with Trump. When a reporter asked Thune this week if it was tough to have to keep telling the president “no,” he said their relationship was fine. He said his job is “to make sure we do everything we can to work with the president and his team where we’ve got our incentives aligned to get things done.” But, he added, “It isn’t every circumstance where the answer is ‘yes.’”
Thune likes to say the problem in the Senate is math. While Republicans have a 53-47 majority, the longstanding filibuster rule requires 60 votes to advance most legislation. While Republicans in test votes have cobbled together a narrow majority for tougher voting rules, they haven’t come close to getting 60. That has prompted calls from Trump and allies to eliminate the filibuster altogether, which Thune has repeatedly rebuffed. Killing the rule would require just 51 votes, but many Republican lawmakers are on record that they oppose any changes.
The president has grown increasingly frustrated and at times has cut out Thune entirely. Last week the president summoned House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) to the White House to discuss the fight over Pulte and the lapsed surveillance law. Thune wasn’t there.
Asked for comment about the Trump-Thune relationship, the White House pointed to passage of the GOP tax law last year and the border-security funding earlier this month. In both cases, Republicans used a special budget procedure that bypassed Democrats.
“We look forward to continuing these close relationships and fulfilling President Trump’s priorities that Americans elected him to enact,” said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson.
Many of Thune’s colleagues have rallied to his defense, saying that he is right to be straight with the president and that no one wants a different leader.
Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas) said Thune is doing nothing more and nothing less than telling the president the truth. “The problem is the president doesn’t like hearing that when it frustrates what he wants to do,” he said.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R., Wyo.) laughed out loud when asked if Trump is making Thune’s job harder. “Obviously, the president’s skill set is to vocalize everything, and Sen. Thune’s skill set is more quietly engaging,” Lummis said. “I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive.”
Unlike some members of Congress who clamor for the chance to dine or golf with Trump, Thune prefers to keep a low profile, people close to him said. At times, he will have another Republican who is close to the president, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), help deliver messages, a White House official said.
Most complaints from within the MAGA base center on the SAVE America Act. Trump has called passing the bill—which mandates proof of citizenship to register and voter ID to vote—critical to winning the midterm elections, both by exciting the GOP base and by reducing what he has called widespread illegal voting for Democrats. While there is no evidence of any fraud affecting election outcomes, opinion polls show broad public support for tighter controls on voter ID.
Some allies of Trump said Thune is simply going through the motions and needs to figure out a way to fight harder—such as by forcing the senators to work Fridays and weekends or by denying Democrats earmarks for favored home-state projects as a way to ratchet up pressure.
“He just kind of shrugs his ‘oh well, we don’t have the votes,’” said Cleta Mitchell, who runs a group that has been lobbying Thune to approve strict voter-eligibility laws. “There is just no sense from him whatsoever that he is even trying.”
A Tea Party Patriots co-founder, Jenny Beth Martin, asked 600,000 of her members in early June to share in one sentence something that they would like to say to the Senate Republican leader. “I’ve never seen so many people who just replied with ‘resign’ and ‘retire’ in my life,” she said.
But Republican senators were dismissive.
“They don’t get a vote. We do,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R., S.D.). “In the Capitol today, he is the stable force. In Washington, D.C., today, he is the stable force,” he said of Thune.
Sen. John Kennedy (R., La.) likened Thune to a lovable golden retriever and Trump to the tough-talking sales trainer in the movie “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
“That’s the president, he’s always selling, and he wants the SAVE Act, and he wants Bill Pulte.… And you may agree with him, you may disagree with him, but that’s what he wants,” he said.
Kennedy said he supports the SAVE America Act and believes that if Thune could deliver the votes, he would. But the Senate already tried and failed to pass it. “I mean, I want a Porsche for my birthday,” he said. “I’m not going to get it.”
Write to Meridith McGraw at [email protected], Lindsay Wise at [email protected] and Siobhan Hughes at [email protected]