Trump's revenge spree stuns Senate Republicans

Senate Majority Leader John Thune — and most of the GOP conference — was reeling Tuesday from President Trump's snap endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas GOP Senate runoff. Why it matters: Thune (R-S.D.) called it Trump's "decision." But it's Thune's problem to pass Trump's agenda, with a trio of senators the president can no longer hurt. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has been unbowed since announcing his retirement in July 2025 after clashes with Trump. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) voted with Democrats Wednesday to advance an Iran war powers vote to debate. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has a runoff May 26 but will enter it with Trump backing someone else. 😓 Adding to Thune's degree of difficulty: a president sick of the Senate and its rules, and rank-and-file Republicans seething over Trump's knifing of Cornyn. "I don't understand. He [Paxton] is an ethically challenged individual," said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). "I'm supremely disappointed," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said. Driving the news: Trump's endorsement of Paxton came in the middle of his 10-day GOP revenge tour. Cassidy fell Saturday, failing to make the runoff in Louisiana's Senate primary. "Horrible Congressman Thomas Massie " (R-Ky.), as Trump called him, has his primary today. What we're watching: The $72 billion reconciliation package will be the first test for the Senate's newly combustible environment. "I just came off the campaign trail. People love the president," Cassidy said. "But I can tell you, a billion dollars for the ballroom … that's not where their head is, and that's not where my head is." Zoom out: Trump's relations with the Senate have sunk to new lows over his frustration with the Senate parliamentarian, Republicans' refusal to abolish the filibuster, and GOP handwringing over ballroom security funding. Thune pronouncing himself "not a big fan" of the new $1.76 billion Department of Justice "anti-weaponization" ...

Original source: Axios