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'Got it wrong': Republican senator says people around Trump are giving him 'bad advice'
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday that President Donald Trump received “bad advice” on his flagship tax‑and‑spending law — particularly in regard to the legislation's Medicaid cuts — and warned it could have serious political consequences.
Tillis claimed he spoke candidly with Trump, warning that the current advisors were providing him with misinformation. “He’s got people that are giving him bad advice that are around him every day,” Tillis said.
Tillis, who voted no on Trump's signature legislation earlier this month, described his own role as “telling truth to power,” emphasizing his commitment to the GOP's long-term success.
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Drawing a parallel to the fallout from the Affordable Care Act in 2010, Tillis cautioned that missteps on Medicaid could jeopardize Republican election chances. “I think it’s politically just devastating,” he said, arguing that the bill’s steep spending cuts may backfire.
He added that Trump “probably preferred the House bill more”, which Tillis viewed as cleaner. “Advisers got it wrong. Off to the next transaction. Let's fix this or work on something else. There are plenty of things where we agree.”
Tillis also said that Trump responded positively when he voiced his opposition. “I was told by more than one person that he preferred the House bill more,” and following Tillis’s threat to seek a primary challenger for Trump, “he texted back, ‘I am.’”
Last month, Tillis flatly refused Trump’s plea to advance the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” biting back with profanity, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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When Trump pressed him to vote yes, Tillis ultimately told the president, “I can’t f------- do that,” per the report.
When asked during the CNN interview about reports that he used profanity while arguing with Trump, the North Carolina Republican said it sounded like him, though he did not recall the exact exchange.
While announcing his retirement from Senate last month, Tillis issued a statement saying: “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 continued: "As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly been excited about running for another term. That is true since the choice is between spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time with the love of my life Susan, our two children, three beautiful grandchildren, and the rest of our extended family back home. It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re‑election.”
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