Thom Tillis says he will retire following Trump attacks

Sen. Thom Tillis, a two-term North Carolina Republican who was expected to contest one of 2026’s toughest Senate races, tried to walk a fine line between President Donald Trump and his purple-state electorate.

It backfired spectacularly over the weekend, with Tillis announcing Sunday that he would not seek re-election less than a day after Trump publicly attacked him for voting “no” to advance his “big, beautiful bill.”

“In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,“ Tillis said in a statement announcing his decision.

Tillis added that it was “not a hard choice” between spending time with family or committing to another “six years in the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington.”