Senate Majority Leader John Thune pushed back Thursday after the White House suggested President Donald Trump’s patience with him is “running out” over the Senate’s inability to advance the SAVE America Act, telling administration officials they should help round up the votes instead of criticizing Republican leadership.
The exchange marked the latest sign of friction between the White House and Senate Republicans as Trump’s signature election legislation remains stalled despite months of pressure from the president.
Thune: “Get on the phone and get the votes”
Asked about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s remarks, Thune argued that the administration should focus its attention on lawmakers blocking the bill.
“She or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes, right,” Thune told reporters at the Capitol. “So instead of pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats. And if there are Republicans that they think are gettable, get on the phone. Let’s get them to yes.”
Thune has repeatedly maintained that Senate Republicans do not have enough votes either to overcome a Democratic filibuster or to eliminate the legislative filibuster in order to pass the bill with a simple majority.
White House says Trump’s patience is wearing thin
Earlier Thursday, Leavitt was asked whether Trump was becoming frustrated with Thune over the Senate’s failure to pass the legislation.
“His patience is running out,” she replied. “He wants to see as much of the SAVE America Act passed as possible by the August recess. He knows that’s what the American people want to see passed.”
Trump intensified his criticism during a rally Wednesday, arguing the Senate has become a place “where you send things you want to die” and urging supporters to pressure Thune to move the legislation.
Senate math remains unchanged
The disagreement centers less on the substance of the legislation than on whether Republicans have a viable path to passing it.
The SAVE America Act, one of Trump’s top legislative priorities, would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and establish voter identification requirements for federal elections. Democrats have uniformly opposed the bill, arguing its provisions extend well beyond traditional voter ID laws by imposing stricter in-person registration requirements and sharply limiting mail-in registration and voting.
With Republicans falling well short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Senate filibuster, Thune has repeatedly argued that the bill cannot advance under the chamber’s current rules.
Thune has also maintained that changing those rules is not a realistic option, saying Republicans lack enough support within their own conference to weaken or eliminate the legislative filibuster.
Republicans defend Thune
Several Senate Republicans quickly rallied behind the majority leader after Leavitt’s comments.
Sen. Thom Tillis, who is retiring at the end of his term, told reporters he has “1,000 percent confidence in Thune.”
“Anybody in the White House who thinks he’s not a good leader isn’t qualified for their job,” Tillis said.
The public disagreement underscores the growing tension between Trump’s aggressive legislative timetable and the procedural realities of the Senate, where even unified Republican support would not be enough to advance the SAVE America Act without Democratic votes or changes to the chamber’s longstanding filibuster rules.
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