Exclusive Interview Reveals Defiant Strategy as Trump Tensions Boil Over
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) plans to run for another term as Republican leader — even if Republicans lose their Senate majority in the 2026 midterms, he told Axios in an exclusive interview Wednesday in his Capitol office.
The declaration comes amid escalating tensions between Thune and President Donald Trump over the Senate’s failure to pass the SAVE America Act and eliminate the legislative filibuster, setting up a high-stakes battle for the future of the Republican Party.
Thune’s strategy rests on three pillars: giving Republican senators broad latitude to distance themselves from Washington and even from Trump, encouraging “vote your state” independence, and deploying massive financial resources to preserve GOP control.
The Firewall Strategy
“I do see the Senate as a firewall in a lot of ways,” Thune told Axios. “We will spend probably the next two years — if the House flips — trying to do impeachment or investigations, etc.” Otherwise, the chamber will focus on judicial and executive nominations.
The majority leader’s willingness to run for another term regardless of the election outcome represents a remarkable break from traditional political calculations, signaling that Thune intends to position the Senate as an institutional check on both parties.
Thune emphasized that the decision ultimately rests with the Republican conference. “That’s ultimately up to the conference,” he said when asked if he’d run again if the GOP lost the majority, “but that’s the plan”.
When pressed on whether he could face a challenger, Thune said you can’t “rule anything in or out,” but added: “I think we worked really hard to create an environment here that is conducive to individual senators being able to achieve their objectives. I think, in this job, you have to be a good listener”.
Trump Tensions Reach Boiling Point
The interview comes at a particularly fraught moment in the relationship between Thune and Trump. The president has repeatedly demanded that the Senate eliminate the 60-vote filibuster threshold to pass the SAVE America Act, which would create strict new proof-of-citizenship voting requirements.
Thune has refused, repeatedly stating that Senate Republicans simply don’t have the votes. “Right now, we don’t have 50,” Thune warned after Trump renewed pressure on the Senate to act on the House-passed budget resolution.
The president’s frustration with Thune has been building for months. According to reporting from The Atlantic, Trump privately described Thune as one of his “biggest headaches,” despite publicly insisting their relationship is “fine”.
The tension spilled into public view at a recent GOP midterm convention in Dallas, where Thune was booed when Trump mentioned his name. The president attempted to quiet the crowd: “No, John is working hard. He’s got great opposition… He’s working hard. He’s going to have great success — you watch”.
The Filibuster Fight
At the heart of the Trump-Thune conflict is the Senate’s legislative filibuster, which requires 60 votes to end debate on most legislation. With a 53-47 Republican majority, Democrats can block the SAVE America Act — and they have.
Thune told the Ruthless Podcast at the Republican National Convention that only about half of Republican senators support eliminating the filibuster. “I’d say it’s probably more like 25 or 30,” he said.
The majority leader has framed the filibuster as a firewall against future Democratic overreach. “At some point, Democrats may try and steal the car, but we’re not going to hand them the keys,” he said, warning that eliminating the filibuster would enable “all the crazy stuff they would do, whether it’s adding Puerto Rico and D.C. as states, whether it’s federalizing elections, or packing the Supreme Court”.
The White House has pushed back, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters that Trump’s “patience is running out” with Thune.
Thune was having none of it. “Maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes. Right? It’s 50 around here,” he shot back. “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”.
