Sen. Thom Tillis (RN.C.) is never shy about speaking his mind — and the past few weeks have given him plenty to talk about.
He spoke about President Trump’s rhetoric on Greenland, the investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and how White House aides see Trump as a directionless leader.
In the process, he has become a key GOP voice as the president begins his final 12 months in office.
Tillis announced in July, amid a fight over a “big, beautiful bill,” that he would retire at the end of his term, giving him the freedom afforded to some lawmakers — which he is increasingly taking advantage of and members are taking notice of.
“He’s untethered,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said with a laugh.
Tillis insists that his recent outspokenness was not a conscious decision, but a result of the administration’s actions that he felt were reprehensible. He has a lot on his mind.
“The sheer volume of things that are in the threat matrix,” Tillis said in an interview. “It’s sort of escalated, but you have to respond when opportunities come.”
Tillis made waves last week when he announced that he would block any future nominees to the Federal Reserve after the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington opened a criminal investigation into Powell. His statement came less than 20 minutes after the Fed released an extraordinarily rare video statement from the chairman.
Tillis sits on the powerful Senate Banking Committee, which has a 12-10 party split, meaning his opposition could scuttle administration nominees, including Powell’s potential replacement when his term ends in May.
That move earned him a mild public rebuke from Trump, who told reporters during a stop in Detroit that while he likes Tillis, there’s a reason the North Carolina Republican isn’t seeking a third term.
“That’s why he’s not going to be a senator anymore,” Trump said. “He will no longer be a senator because of such views.”
But Tillis remarkably didn’t receive an angry phone call from the president — who has been a constant source of outcry to lawmakers. The two have texted in recent weeks, but haven’t spoken directly since late December.
While Tillis has taken aim at the administration, he hasn’t trained specifically to fire the president. Instead, much of his criticism has been directed at his No. 1 target: Trump’s top advisers.
Tillis said, “I strongly believe that a lot of times we’re seeing things that aren’t very well executed because the ‘what’ was a bad idea, but the ‘how’ was terrible”. “People are not looking around the corner,” arguing that the Greenland situation is a “classic example.”
Earlier this month, Tillis caught Washington’s attention when she called out Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s top White House advisers, in a floor speech. Miller went on CNN earlier in the day and said that “no one is going to fight the United States militarily for Greenland” and that it should “obviously” be part of the US.
The North Carolina Republican declared, “I’m sick of the idiots.
Tillis traveled to Denmark on Thursday with five other MPs as part of an “assurance” mission about Greenland.
GOP lawmakers have come to expect that level of outspokenness from the outgoing senator, who made waves last summer for openly criticizing and ultimately voting against a “big, beautiful bill.”
“When you announce you’re not running for re-election, you probably have a lot of latitude. Thome … has always been very outspoken and willing to take on the big issues,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.D.). “That hasn’t changed.”
“I think now [he] looks at his role … to be very transparent about what he thinks and here’s an opportunity to make an impact in his final year,” Thun continued, adding that Tillis has “always [an] independent thinker.”
However, some recent moves have caught the attention of members and allies.
A senior GOP aide noted that Tillis has taken to the floor on several occasions since the start of the year to deliver speeches that are largely “unscripted and driven by emotion.”
Those headlines were about the administration’s actions toward Greenland — a different speech than the one taunting Miller — and in support of a Democratic push to place a plaque honoring police officers who guard the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Notably, the set of comments did not feature a speaking podium or visual prepared comments.
Some on Capitol Hill believe some of his actions have been detrimental to the Senate GOP, and he’s not doing his colleagues any favors with his outspoken approach.
“He’s burning a lot of bridges between his colleagues and the party writ large. He’s just negative on everything we want to do,” said a second senior Republican aide, pointing to the torpedoing of the latest crypto market structure bill. “He’s stepping on the message, but he’s also stepping on the policy. He’s not being helpful.”
Others dispute that, saying they don’t think his recent moves have reached a level of concern.
“He might have reacted too quickly and too harshly,” admitted one Senate Republican. “I don’t see a blinking light.”
Lawmakers are also quick to note that Tillis seems more independent without the weight of re-election on his shoulders — something Tillis readily admits.
Asked if he had any regrets or second thoughts about turning down a bid for a third term, he didn’t consider the question.
“Oh, no. Not at all,” Tillis says with a belly laugh, rep. Ralph Norman (RS.C.) told him he looked like a new man when the two were just returning to Washington.
He said, “You look like— refreshed,” Tillis said.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), a member of the GOP leadership, told The Hill that Tillis has been open about how he and his wife are very eager to “control my clock.”
“He talks a lot about staying home,” Lankford said.
However, Tillis also said he does not believe he is speaking alone when he goes public with the airing of his grievances.
“I’ll leave it to the other members, but I believe … I think there are a lot of people who believe that it’s useful for me to say what I’m saying,” he said. “I haven’t seen many stand up and criticize me.”
“I think I’m in a position to take a step forward where I recommend that other people take it, give them some space to think about how they can dip their feet in the water to help this president,” Tillis said. “Being honest and speaking truth to power, and calling out people who give bad advice.”
Whether that creates a headache for the leadership remains to be seen. As Thun notes, there is still sand in the hour glass.
“I haven’t seen that,” he said when asked if he was worried about Tillis disrupting the conference. “But we have a year to go.”
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