Trump and Thune: Just You Wait

: Jamie Stiehm on May 27, 2026

Here in Washington, D.C., we endure slights of the president's barking, his constant use of capital letters and his ever-present red ties. These are forms of shouting, weapons of psychological warfare that he wields as the master of repetition. Then there's the 250-foot Arch he plans to build, which would block the view across Arlington Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial shrine to freedom.

But the Greek gods may yet get President Donald Trump for his hubris. Let me explain.

When it comes to Senate Republican leader John Thune, Trump had better tread more carefully. The strong silent type from South Dakota measures his words in tablespoons. He's carried Trump's water so far in his second term, but two men could not be more different.

Thune, the tall man, commands respect throughout his conference without asking for it. Trump demands respect and obeying orders from each and every Republican in Congress -- or else. He'll remember any sign of dissent and punish you personally. Oh yeah.

Thune could hold Trump's fate in his hands, if the House moves ahead to impeach him. That is perfectly possible come early next year, if Democrats take control. Then the ball moves to the Senate's court, and every Republican will take their cue from Thune.

Just lately, Senate Republicans are starting to rebel from the abusive father of their party. They feel Trump pays no heed to their needs in facing unhappy voters in the next election as the economy goes south. He never told them about starting a war on Iran.

They boiled over last week when the billion-dollar ballroom came up in a private meeting with Trump's acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Then, the crowning blow was Trump's $1.776 billion deal with the Treasury to dole out to his political supporters, even the violent Jan. 6 rioters who tried to undo the 2020 election. Angry Senate Republicans sent Blanche packing back to the White House.

To add insult to injury, Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who bested one of their own, the genial Sen. John Cornyn, in Texas' Republican Senate primary on Tuesday. Paxton has a scarred ethical reputation, but he's a MAGA guy.

When asked if Trump had given him a heads-up about throwing his weight behind Paxton, Thune grimaced and said, "I found out when everybody else did."

That public cut is not good politics. Smart presidents cultivate and strategize with party leaders. They sometimes invite them over to the White House, even if there's not a shutdown or another crisis brewing. Obsequious House Speaker Mike Johnson doesn't need special handling from Trump.

But Thune, 65, who's walked the marble halls of the House and Senate for decades, may see Trump as political amateur hour. There's no sign of warmth between them in a capital that used to run on more bonhomie.

Trump also claimed the political scalp of Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who had the courage to vote to convict Trump when he was impeached five years ago for inciting the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol with Congress in session.

For that, Trump endorsed against him, too, and Cassidy lost in the primary. The medical doctor probably wishes he had voted against Bobby Kennedy Jr. as health secretary as a matter of courage and conscience.

That makes two well-liked Senate Republicans in a handful of Trump's dust. That is an insult and possibly a tipping point for Thune.

It's inside baseball, but Thune is likely offended by Trump's posts attacking the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, and demanding that Thune get rid of her. The parliamentarian ruled against including a billion dollars for Trump's White House ballroom in a "reconciliation" bill, which only needs a bare majority of votes to pass. (Usually a Senate bill requires a 60-vote bar.)

The Senate is a small world of 100. The Republican members are smaller, 53 out of 100. As an institution, the Senate prides itself on more orderly rules and decorum than the noisy House of Representatives.

So, in the Senate, threats against the neutral parliamentarian were just not done until Trump came along. Nor is it helpful when a president ignores and bulldozes past his party -- to build a ballroom or an Arch.

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The author may be reached at JamieStiehm.com. To find out more about Jamie Stiehm and other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, please visit creators.com.

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