Republican Senator Thom Tillis to retire after breaking with Trump

Senator Thom Tillis announced on Sunday that he will not seek reelection next year, declaring that “independent thinkers in Washington have become an endangered species.” The North Carolina Republican’s decision comes a day after he joined Senator Rand Paul and Representative Thomas Massie in opposing President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sprawling budget measure central to the administration’s agenda.Trump publicly rebuked Tillis on Saturday for his dissent, calling him “a talker and complainer” on social media and threatening to back alternative primary challengers. The president has similarly chastised other Republicans who opposed the legislation.Tillis, 64, has served in elected office in North Carolina since 2007 and in the U.S. Senate since 2015. In his departure statement, he expressed pride in his bipartisan achievements, even when they drew criticism from within his own party. “Too many elected officials are motivated by pure raw politics and don’t care about the people they promised to represent,” he wrote.The senator voted against advancing Trump’s spending and tax cuts bill on Saturday, citing concerns over its proposed Medicaid cuts. He warned the changes would cost North Carolina tens of billions in funding, calling the work requirement and reduced provider taxes “devastating” for vulnerable populations. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that nearly 12 million Americans could lose health coverage under the plan.Despite Republican supporters’ arguments that the reforms would curb fraud and ensure long‑term viability, Tillis stood firm. “I did my homework on behalf of North Carolinians, and I cannot support this bill in its current form,” he said.With the final Senate vote on the package expected soon, speculation has already turned to potential successors. President Trump has hinted at meeting “numerous” candidates to challenge Tillis in next year’s primaries, and some have pointed to Lara Trump, the president’s daughter‑in‑law, as a possible contender—though she has yet to comment.