President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are struggling to align their agendas after a June marked by clashes over surveillance powers, Iran policy, and Trump's push to eliminate the filibuster for the SAVE America Act. The tensions, which flared publicly, have left GOP leaders scrambling to present a united front ahead of critical legislative battles.
Thune, a South Dakota Republican, was caught off guard twice last month. First, Trump blocked Jay Clayton, his nominee for director of national intelligence, from testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Then, the president refused to sign a housing affordability bill that Thune had championed, though it became law without his signature. These incidents underscored the frayed ties between the two Republican power centers.
Now, Thune is working to rally his conference around Trump's priorities, including the annual defense authorization bill and the confirmation of Todd Blanche to lead the Justice Department. But the task has grown harder following the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham, a senior Judiciary Committee member and Budget Committee chairman. Graham's passing has dealt a major setback to Trump's SAVE America Act, as it stalls work on a third budget reconciliation package that Trump has demanded.
Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, a staunch Trump ally, is poised to take over the Budget Committee gavel. However, the transition could delay immediate action on reconciliation, adding to Thune's headaches. The majority leader spent the July 4 recess with Trump in South Dakota, celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary, in an effort to mend fences. He has since planned a "blitz" to confirm as many Trump nominees as possible this work period.
Yet, Republican strategists warn that underlying tensions remain. "Trump is the one putting pressure on Senate Republicans to move in his direction, so the more pressure, the more conflict," said Ron Bonjean, a GOP strategist and former Senate leadership aide. "It feels as if things have calmed down for now, but they could return to being very tense shortly. It really depends on where Trump is. He's not letting the SAVE Act go."
Trump recently held a heated meeting with senators on Capitol Hill, pressing them to pass the SAVE America Act, which would overhaul election laws. He has threatened to veto the bipartisan housing bill—a top Thune priority—over the lack of progress on SAVE. "THE SAVE AMERICA ACT'S non-passage is CRAZY, and a serious threat to any politician who votes against it!" Trump warned on Friday.
The president has also pushed Thune to abolish the filibuster to advance SAVE with a simple majority, but Thune has resisted, citing insufficient GOP support for a rules change. A Republican strategist, speaking anonymously, urged Thune to meet Trump at the White House and present a schedule that includes floor time for SAVE and birthright citizenship legislation, responding to a recent Supreme Court ruling. "SAVE will be a huge issue," the strategist said. "If you're John Thune, Trump is not lost for him. This is not a burned bridge. Speaker Mike Johnson does this—he goes to the president and says, 'Here's what you want, here's what I can do.'"
Trump's staunchest allies want Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson to schedule debate and votes on SAVE and the Birthright Citizenship Act, which would deny automatic citizenship to children of illegal immigrants or temporary visitors. Meanwhile, Thune filed cloture on the defense authorization bill before the July 4 recess, and the Senate Intelligence Committee will finally hold Clayton's confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Thune hopes that Clayton's confirmation will pave the way for a long-term extension of enhanced surveillance authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which expired on June 12. Trump blew up a potential deal by telling Clayton to skip his original hearing, keeping the program "dark" for weeks, and has insisted on linking FISA to SAVE.
The coming weeks will test whether Thune can balance Trump's demands with Senate realities. As one GOP insider put it, "Trump's not going to stop caring about the SAVE America Act."
