GOP Senators quietly pushing back against Trump’s Tillis threats

I have never held back regarding the practice of trying to bully or threaten to primary a Republican who does not support a position. Members of Congress are elected to represent their constituents, something I think everyone seems to forget.

They are not loyal to the president or the party, but to their voters. Now, finally, Republican Senators are pushing back against Trump bullying Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), but the damage has already been done.

Get out

I have done some serious digging into Tillis, and when he made his stand against the BBB, I firmly believe he did so to bring concerns of his constituents to the table, but he was threatened by Trump for doing so.

There was some dialogue, but publicly, Trump was applying serious pressure to get Tillis to fold when I believe this should have all been handled behind closed doors.

Trump, at the time, told Tillis, “Looks like Senator Thom Tillis, as usual, wants to tell the Nation that he’s giving them a 68% Tax Increase, as opposed to the Biggest Tax Cut in American History! Thom Tillis is making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!”

It was not the tax cuts that Tillis had issue with, and I really think Trump could have gotten him on board, but when Trump told him he was going to primary him if he did not support the bill, Tillis circled the wagons, blasted the bill, then announced he was not running for re-election. And let's face facts, there is not a single person reading this who wants to be publicly humiliated, so I get it.

Tough fight

North Carolina is no longer a guaranteed red seat, and Tillis’ last election proved that, winning by about 100,000 votes, which translates to 1.8% of the vote.

He would have had significant support among existing Senators, as he is very well-liked, and at 64, he is not exactly a fossil like the rest of the members.

Furthermore, it is always easier for an incumbent who can stand on his or her record rather than bringing in someone new.

Point being, in this race, and in this environment, Tillis leaving the party could give Democrats a key seat.

GOP pushes back

I really think Trump needs to be more open rather than disenfranchising these members and their supporters, as we simply do not have the votes to spare. I fully respect Trump wanting the caucus on his side, but at the same time, he cannot expect everyone to just go along to get along all the time.

What now has Republicans more frustrated than ever is that Tillis was backing Trump on just about everything, even posting positively about his interactions with Trump, but it was Trump who chose to throw down the gauntlet.

One member, who chose to speak anonymously for fear of Trump lashing out, stated, “He is a great fit for his state and was looking out for the best interests of North Carolina, so to see him pushed aside like that is unfortunate. And, frankly, he deserves better than that. If you’re a Republican senator in a vulnerable position or with a potential primary challenge — or even if you don’t have a primary challenge — that’s your worst nightmare politically, to have President Trump come after you.”

Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) also spoke on the matter, calling it “unfortunate,” but he was clear that he thought Tillis got a raw deal. I get that Trump wants to have this “tough guy” persona, but there is a time and a place for everything. From what I can tell, Tillis was one of the good guys, and we just lost him. Was this so Lara Trump could run?

That may be a question we need to ask if she announces. And if that is the case, it all makes sense, not that it’s right, but it makes sense. If she does enter the race, or even if she does and we lose this seat, someone needs to get Trump to back off just a bit when he and a member of the GOP caucus who has supported Trump in the past are not on the same page. Let’s face it… We are not talking about a Mitch McConnell or Liz Cheney here. This was someone who supported just about everything Trump wanted, but he disagreed on one thing, and now he is gone.