‘Senator Tillis Is a Loser!’ Trump Attacks GOP Senator Over Todd Blanche-January 6 Ultimatum

The Associated Press

Donald Trump railed against Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Air Force One Friday after a reporter asked the president about Tillis’s comments regarding Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Trump said this week that he would nominate Blanche to be approved by the Senate for the position vacated by former Attorney General Pam Bondi.

While traveling to Wisconsin to discuss the economy with the state’s farmers, a reporter asked Trump, “Senator Tillis said he won’t support Todd Blanche’s confirmation unless Todd Blanche condemns January 6th. Do you have a reaction to that?”

“Senator Tillis is a loser!” Trump exclaimed. “That’s why he didn’t run! He didn’t run because I wouldn’t support him. He’s just an angry man because he’s not going to be a senator any longer. He wasn’t respected in the Senate. He fought a lot of people. He fought Pete Hegseth. Pete Hegseth turned out to be a gem.”

The president continued:

No, Senator Tillis is a loser, stone cold. He’s an angry man because I basically — he was forced to leave the Senate because I wouldn’t support him, and he quit. So now he’s trying to make trouble by opposing anybody. Todd Blanche is a brilliant guy who everybody likes and everybody respects. And Tillis is always like, “I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do that.” He should have done it before when he was a senator. He would have gotten wiped out in a race. But he needed my support. And I said, I can’t give you my support. He’s not qualified. He’s not. He’s not good for the position of senator.

Trump added, “Todd Blanche is fantastic.”

Blanche seemed to contradict Trump this week by telling the House Appropriations subcommittee that the Justice Department was not proceeding with its $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that could have paid out Jan. 6 rioters, even after a temporary federal court order expires.

A day later, Trump said he’d “have to ask the lawyers” if the fund was dead or just on hold.

“The weaponization fund, as far as I’m concerned, was a beautiful thing. I love it. I think it’s so important,” Trump said.

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