Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is giving every indication that he's ready to pull a Heisman on President Trump and have the Senate skip town for its August recess without getting the SAVE America Act passed.
In an interview published Thursday morning, Thune dismissed the president's repeated calls to get the job done, saying, "He thinks I can wave the magic wand. I wish it were that easy."
Thune said of Trump, "He gets obviously frustrated with me because he sees me as the person that’s the impediment to some of the things he wants to get done." He added, "But as I continually point out … I don’t make this stuff up. Math is math, arithmetic is arithmetic. … And part of it, too, is the active role he played in some of these primaries."
SEE ALSO: Trump's Blunt Message to Thune: Nuke Your Vacation *and* the Filibuster, Get the Job Done
Boom: Senators Revolt Against Thune's Plan to Recess
Thune would rather shelve a vote on the SAVE America Act and let Senators running for reelection this year go back home and hit the campaign trail.
NEW: Thune wants to let his members get out on the campaign trail. First, he has to get through the next 8 days -- and Trump's unrelenting focus on SAVE
— Jordain Carney (@jordainc) July 30, 2026
"Math is math. ...He thinks I can wave the magic wand. I wish it were that easy" Thune told @politico
He added that he and…
NEW: Thune wants to let his members get out on the campaign trail. First, he has to get through the next 8 days -- and Trump's unrelenting focus on SAVE
"Math is math. ...He thinks I can wave the magic wand. I wish it were that easy" Thune told @politico
He added that he and Trump "get along" but "he gets obviously frustrated with me because he sees me as the person that’s the impediment to some of the things he wants"
Thune supports SAVE but (like many of his members) also wants the party to turn its focus to Dems "rather than us shooting each other"
There is still a possibility that some elements of voter ID could be folded into a budget reconciliation package, but, again, Thune says he doesn't yet have the votes to get that passed and it'll likely have to wait until after the recess.
As Thune was making these remarks Wednesday, President Trump was doing a Q&A from the Oval Office and addressed whether or not Thune should remain in the majority leader position.
Townhall's @cameron_arcand: "Do you think [Thune] is still the man for the job?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 29, 2026
Trump: "Well, we're gonna find out, and I'll let you know." pic.twitter.com/euH4qkaiQu
To which Thune responded that if the president “could find somebody else to do this job, it might be a big relief.” He added, "It is what it is. You just roll with it."
The president has been waging a pressure campaign on Thune for months in an effort to get the SAVE America Act passed ahead of November's midterm elections. As RedState reported earlier this week, Trump yet again lowered the boom on Thune, posting on Truth Social:
John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to “leave town” until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929! The Dumocrats will do it on day one, and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership. Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH! President DJT
The Senate's August recess is scheduled to begin August 7.
Editor's Note: The Democrats are doing everything in their power to undermine the integrity of our elections.
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