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The Senate, Once Insulated From Trump, Has Remade Itself in His Image

New York Times

5 days ago

Politics
New York Times

The Senate, Once Insulated From Trump, Has Remade Itself in His Image

When the former Republican senator Jeff Flake of Arizona looks at the soon-to-be former Republican senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, he sees a reflection of himself from 2017, when he decided to retire from the Senate rather than conform to the new party politics embodied by President Trump. 'Thom Tillis could have won re-election,' said Mr. Flake, who became ambassador to Turkey during the Biden administration after leaving the Senate because of repeated clashes with Mr. Trump over the president's character and truthfulness. 'He would have had to change into somebody he isn't — and I felt the same.' Mr. Tillis's decision not to run for re-election after crossing the president is just the latest example of how profoundly Mr. Trump has reshaped the Senate. Republicans who showed the temerity to challenge Mr. Trump are out, and devotees are in, with Mr. Trump's endorsement looming as a decisive factor in Senate primaries. Gone are multiple independent-minded Republican senators who were willing to question the president's actions or assert legislative prerogatives. Mr. Tillis was the latest to succumb, after finding himself on the receiving end of a Trump tirade and primary threat over his opposition to the party's signature tax cut and domestic policy bill. He has plenty of company. Along with Mr. Flake, the Republican casualty list from the first Trump tenure includes former senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, Rob Portman of Ohio, Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Mitt Romney of Utah and Ben Sasse of Nebraska. Relations with Mr. Trump weren't the sole reason those men bowed out. The difficulty of navigating a MAGA electorate in their home states, the endless demands of fund-raising and frustration with the inability to get much accomplished in Congress all played a role. But Mr. Trump was a major factor, considering that four of them — Senators Burr, Romney, Sasse and Toomey — were among the seven Republicans who voted to convict Mr. Trump on impeachment charges arising out of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol. Now, the seats of the departed have been assumed by avowed Trump devotees such as Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri, who has become a point man for the White House, and Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, both archconservatives from Tennessee. In addition, Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Jon Tester of Montana and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania — all Democrats — were defeated and replaced by Trump acolytes Bernie Moreno, Tim Sheehy and David McCormick respectively, deepening the MAGA hold on the chamber. Mr. Tillis acknowledged that the Senate is no longer a place that celebrates political independence and if he had it do over again, he might not. 'The Thom Tillis who made the decision to run in 2013 probably would not have made the same decision,' he said in an interview. The evolution of the Senate was vividly illustrated when the chamber took the sweeping domestic policy and tax-cut measure produced by the House and made it more conservative. That is the opposite of how things traditionally go in Congress, where the courtly Senate has more often been the moderating 'cooling saucer' for the House's hotly partisan tea. Republicans in the Senate, where members are usually jealous protectors of their power over federal spending, also acceded to Mr. Trump's demand to cancel $9 billion already approved by Congress, even though they conceded that the White House was not providing the level of detail they were seeking about the cuts. Just two Republicans, Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, rejected the spending clawbacks. These days, they are often the only two senators in play as potential Republican defectors, though Mr. Tillis often presents himself as a wild card. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former party leader, who has shown disdain for Mr. Trump, has also cast a few votes in opposition to the president's policies and nominees. After Mr. Tillis decided to support Emil Bove, a Trump appeals court nominee accused by a Justice Department colleague of encouraging resistance to court rulings, only Ms. Collins and Ms. Murkowski opposed him. Mr. Trump has erased all but a few doubters from the Senate in his second incarnation as president. 'During the first administration, there was a contingent of Republicans who stood up to him in various ways,' said Ira Shapiro, a former senior Senate aide and an author of three books on the Senate. 'Once he succeeded in this remarkable political comeback, he has basically unified the party in slavish loyalty to him.' Mr. Shapiro noted that as recently as 2022, when the Senate was under Democratic control, the Senate was able to notch a series of bipartisan legislative accomplishments on gun safety, public works and marriage equality — a type of bipartisanship that would seem almost impossible now. Even Senator John Thune, the South Dakota Republican who took over as majority leader this year after getting crosswise with Mr. Trump in the past, has developed a close working relationship with the president as he delivers on the Trump agenda. In a recent social media post, the president flattered the majority leader as 'the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months.' Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who has fought with Trump in the past, said it shouldn't be surprising how tightly aligned Senate Republicans are with Mr. Trump. 'The president is very strong in the conference,' Mr. Graham said about his fellow Republicans. 'He's very popular with the base. Republican senators usually help Republican presidents. That's the way the system works. If you look at the history of how party majorities serve their presidents, you will find a lot of consistency there.' Referring to President Lyndon Baines Johnson, Graham added, 'It's what L.B.J. was known for.' But the Senate was also known for strong personalities and formidable politicians who were eager to assert their power and saw themselves as equal partners to the president, with the ability to shape legislation and the right to reject nominees they deemed unfit or unqualified. Over the past few decades, the Senate has become a much more partisan institution, and both parties have seen power shift to the White House. Mr. Tillis noted that Democrats with an independent streak, such as Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have also left the Senate — though they were not so much run out by the leaders of their party as they were bowing to the reality that they would have a hard time winning re-election. He said he worried that the state of the Senate would discourage capable candidates in the future and further reduce the chamber's historic influence. 'I think it has a more of a dampening effect on those who come behind us,' Mr. Tillis said. 'You do get to a point to wonder if the Senate can be the backstop that it has been in the past.' Mr. Flake said he shared that view. 'I love the Senate,' he said. 'It typically forces the parties to work together. It pains me to see it the way it is. We are taking out what should be a huge, huge balance of power.' But he also said it was not tenable for him to find a way to remain, even as supporters encouraged him to try to fight it out. 'I could have said I didn't mean those things I said about President Trump or that his behavior was growing on me,' Mr. Flake said. 'No job is worth that. You have to face your kids and your grandkids.'

Former Sen. Jeff Flake: GOP must ‘allow dissident voices within the party'

CNN

08-07-2025

Politics
CNN

Former Sen. Jeff Flake: GOP must ‘allow dissident voices within the party'

Former Republican Sen. Jeff Flake talks with CNN's Wolf Blitzer about his criticism of the GOP and says the party must allow members to disagree with President Trump.

Tillis' retirement announcement draws reactions from Trump critic Jeff Flake, Bernie Sanders: 'A cult'

Fox News

29-06-2025

Politics
Fox News

Tillis' retirement announcement draws reactions from Trump critic Jeff Flake, Bernie Sanders: 'A cult'

Former Senator Jeff Flake, one of President Donald Trump's most vocal critics during his first administration, reacted to Sen. Thom Tillis' retirement plans on Sunday. Tillis, who was one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the 2026 cycle, had faced threats from Trump to endorse a challenger after Tillis voted against the president's "big, beautiful bill," on Saturday night. In an X post, Flake speculated that Tillis could have won re-election, but only if he took certain positions. "He could win again, but only by taking positions he doesn't believe in," Flake, who served as U.S. ambassador to Turkey during the Biden administration, said. "It's an honor to serve in the Senate — but not at any cost," he added. Tillis said on Sunday that he plans to retire at the end of his term in 2026. In a statement, the North Carolina Republican referenced "the greatest form of hypocrisy in American politics." "When people see independent thinking on the other side, they cheer," Tillis said. "But when those very same people see independent thinking coming from their side, they scorn, ostracize, and even censure." "In Washington over the last few years, it's become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species," he added. Tillis added that the choice broke down to either spending time with his family or navigating "the political theater and partisan gridlock," in Washington, D.C. "It's not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election," he said. Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also reacted to Tillis' announcement with a criticism of Trump. "I do not agree with N.C. Senator Thom Tillis on much. But he's right on this," Sanders' post began. He added, "Trump's Republican Party does not allow for independent thought. The Republican Party today is a cult. Either you do as Trump wants, or you're out. Pathetic." On Saturday evening, Trump blasted Tillis as a "grandstander" and expressed interest in interviewing potential primary challengers. "Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against 'Senator Thom' Tillis," Trump said on Truth Social. "I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he added.

There's only one place to find the real Timothée Chalamet

Washington Post

29-05-2025

Entertainment
Washington Post

There's only one place to find the real Timothée Chalamet

In today's edition: We haven't heard from Jeff Flake for a while in these pages, but the former Republican senator from Arizona is still worriedly watching the man he spent all his political capital decrying: President Donald Trump.

My fellow Republicans, the responsibility to speak out rests with you