Sen. Thom Tillis, who is not seeking reelection, has grown more outspoken—targeting senior White House advisers while stopping short of directly attacking President Donald Trump. He criticized advisers over talk of a U.S. move on Greenland, questioned the DOJ’s probe of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, and pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over early comments in a Minneapolis shooting. Tillis also helped secure public display of a Jan. 6 plaque and says his critiques aim to improve presidential counsel and boost GOP prospects.
Sen. Thom Tillis Rebukes White House Advisers While Avoiding Direct Attacks on Trump
FILE - Wearing a beaded bolo around a pin that says "United States Senate," Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., listens to thanks from members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, after the passage of a bill granting the tribe with federal recognition, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
WASHINGTON — Sen. Thom Tillis has grown unusually outspoken in his final year in the Senate, publicly criticizing senior White House aides while stopping short of directly attacking President Donald Trump.
“I'm sick of stupid,” the two-term Republican from North Carolina declared from the Senate floor, denouncing advisers he says have amplified talk of a possible U.S. military move on Greenland. That remark was one of several blunt interventions by Tillis in the opening weeks of 2026.
Not seeking reelection, Tillis has shown a willingness to break with administration staffers without embracing a full-scale break with the president. He joined Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski as one of only two Senate Republicans to travel with a congressional delegation to Denmark this week amid discussion that Trump might pursue a plan related to Greenland.
Targeting Advisers, Not The President
Much of Tillis’s ire has been directed at senior aides, particularly White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. After Miller told CNN that Greenland “should be part of the United States,” Tillis told reporters he did not want a staffer dictating his position. “He made comments out of his depth,” Tillis said.
He has also publicly questioned the Justice Department’s probe of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her early characterization of a deadly Minneapolis incident involving an ICE officer. Tillis said he was surprised by the certainty in Noem’s initial comments and suggested that such assertive rhetoric may have influenced presidential statements defending law enforcement.
FILE -Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., speaks during a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Oct. 13, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Sarah Silbiger/Pool via AP, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jan. 6, Accountability and Political Balance
Tillis helped broker the deal to publicly display a plaque honoring officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, praising Capitol Police and staff for their actions that day while also criticizing what he called an overreach in prosecuting some participants. He framed Jan. 6 as “one of the worst days” of his Senate tenure and a stress test for democracy, but he again focused criticism on presidential advisers for decisions such as sweeping pardons for some Jan. 6 defendants.
“The president, on the advice of somebody in the White House — and I hope I find out the name of that person — also pardoned criminals who injured police officers and destroyed this building,” Tillis said, arguing for accountability.
Why He’s Speaking Out
At 65, and having served in competitive North Carolina politics, Tillis says his critiques come from a desire to strengthen the GOP and help President Trump succeed by ensuring he receives better counsel. He repeatedly emphasizes his business background — roughly 25 years in accounting and consulting and service as North Carolina’s House speaker — as informing a practical approach to policy and administration decisions.
His relationship with the president hit a rough patch last summer when he opposed a sweeping tax-and-spending cuts package; Tillis was one of two Senate Republicans to vote against it and announced his retirement soon after. Trump later responded to Tillis’s recent criticisms with a mixture of derision and personal praise, saying, “Look, I like Thom Tillis,” while noting Tillis will no longer be a senator.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Tillis’ assessment of presidential advisers. Associated Press writer Stephen Groves in Washington contributed to this report.
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