GOP rebel Thom Tillis rampages against Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' after withdrawing from re-election
Thom Tillis continued to rage against Donald Trump 's 'big, beautiful bill' as his own party attempts to pass it before the president's July 4 deadline.
The North Carolina Republican announced earlier Sunday that he would not seek re-election in 2026 which led to derisive cheers from Trump on social media.
Tillis appears to be sticking true to his promise to 'call the balls and strikes as I see fit' now that he's retiring, ranting in opposition to the Trump spending bill Sunday in an all-night session before the chamber starts to vote.
He particularly went after people around Trump who he says are misleading him about the bill's effect on Medicaid: 'I'm telling the president, you have been misinformed.'
'What do I tell 663,000 people in two years, three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding's not there anymore?'
Trump has promised there will be no cuts to the program in the bill but Tillis compared that to Barack Obama saying that the Affordable Care Act meant that 'if you like your health care plan, you can keep it,' which ultimately turned out to be a lie.
'You supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid,' he added.
He added, as his party prepares to vote on the bill as soon as Monday morning, that there's a way that 'we can make sure we do not break the promise of Donald J. Trump, that he's made to the people on Medicaid today.'
Thom Tillis (pictured) continued to rage against Donald Trump 's 'big, beautiful bill' as his own party attempts to pass it before the president's July 4 deadline
Tillis said that the Republicans must give up on their promised deadline of getting the bill done before Independence Day on Friday.
'But what we're doing, because we've got a view on an artificial deadline on July 4, that means nothing but another date in time, we could take the time to get this right.'
Until the party get everything right regarding Medicaid, he will remain a 'no' vote on the bill.
'I owe it to the people of North Carolina, to withhold my affirmative vote until it's demonstrated to me that we've done our homework, we're going to make sure we fulfill the promise. Then I can feel good about a bill that I'm willing to vote for. But until that time, I will be withholding my vote.'
When reached for comment by DailyMail.com, the White House sent us a link to President Trump's Truth Social post earlier Sunday celebrating Tillis' retirement from the Senate.
The president wrote on Truth Social Sunday afternoon: 'Great News! 'Senator' Thom Tillis will not be seeking reelection.'
He then warned any other members of the GOP who were not on board with the bill due to how much they believe it would add to the debt that they would have to face the voters after it became a success.
'For all cost cutting Republicans, of which I am one, REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected. Don't go too crazy! We will make it all up, times 10, with GROWTH, more than ever before,' he said.
Tillis was one of two Republican senators who voted against the 'motion to proceed' on Trump's budget bill Saturday evening, along with Kentucky Republican Rand Paul.
Paul was still trumpeting his refusal to vote for the bill - which CNN reported is facing a $35million advertising blitz to influence lawmakers one way or the other - on Sunday.
John Thomas, a Republican strategist, said that anyone defying Trump risks the wrath of the voters.
'The GOP base is extremely supportive of President Trump, much more than their individual federal representative. Break rank with Trump and there is a price to pay,' he said.
The North Carolina Republican made his announcement earlier Sunday, via a statement shared by his political team.
'As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven't exactly been excited about running for another term,' Tillis wrote.
'That is true since the choice is between spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time with the love of my life Susan, our two children, three beautiful grandchildren, and the rest of our extended family back home.
'It's not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election,' he added.
In a post made to his social media site Truth Social Sunday morning, President Trump came after Tillis, claiming that he 'hurt the great people of North Carolina' and calling him a 'talker and complainer.'
'Thom Tillis has hurt the great people of North Carolina. Even on the catastrophic flooding, nothing was done to help until I took office. Then a Miracle took place! Tillis is a talker and complainer, Not A Doer! He's even worse than Rand 'Fauci' Paul,' Trump wrote on Sunday morning.
Tillis, who was set to face a reelection fight in a critical swing state next year in the 2026 midterms, raised significant concerns this week over the budget bill's deep cuts to Medicaid.
Tillis shared projections that his state could lose $38.9 billion, impacting more than 600,000 North Carolinians.
Cutting Medicaid was seen by a number of Republicans as a way to pay for the president's policy agenda, which includes increases in areas such as border security, which the White House asked to be at $150 billion.
Notably, Republican leaders in Tillis' own state said they were willing to work with the hand they were dealt by Washington.
North Carolina's State Senate Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger wrote on X, formerly Twitter Saturday that he supports '@realDonaldTrump's Big Beautiful Bill and the legislature will work through any implementation issues.'
Tillis' decision creates a political opportunity for Democrats seeking to bolster their numbers in the 2026 midterm elections, creating a wide-open Senate race in a state that has long been a contested battleground.
North Carolina is state that Trump has narrowly won in all three of his elections, yet still sees Democrat leadership at the state level, making it a swing state.
It is also home to a number of nationally prominent Republicans who could be frontrunners to replace Tillis, such as National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Richard Hudson and Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley.
Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump - wife of his son Eric - is also from the state, and could potentially make a bid for the seat. After serving as the RNC Co-Chair in 2024, Lara Trump is now the host of My View with Lara Trump on Fox News.
The North Carolina Republican Party chairman, Jason Simmons, said the party wishes Tillis well and 'will hold this seat for Republicans in 2026.'
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the chairman of the campaign arm for Senate Republicans, did not mention Tillis in a statement but said the party's winning streak in North Carolina will continue. Scott noted that Trump won the state three times.
Tillis rose to prominence in North Carolina when, as a second-term state House member, he quit his IBM consultant job and led the GOP's recruitment and fundraising efforts in the chamber for the 2010 elections.
Republicans won majorities in the House and Senate for the first time in 140 years.
Tillis was later elected as state House speaker and helped enact conservative policies on taxes, gun rights, regulations and abortion while serving in the role for four years.
He also helped push a state constitutional referendum to ban gay marriage, which was approved by voters in 2012 but was ultimately struck down by the courts as unconstitutional.
In 2014, Tillis helped flip control of the U.S. Senate to the GOP after narrowly defeating Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan.
During his more than a decade in office, he championed issues such as mental health and substance abuse recovery, Medicaid expansion and support for veterans.
As a more moderate Republican, Tillis became known for his willingness to work across the aisle on some issues.
That got him into trouble with his party at times, most notably in 2023 when North Carolina Republicans voted to censure him over several matters, including his challenges to certain immigration policies and his gun policy record.
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