Trump Weighs Delaying Blanche AG Nomination Over Senate Holdouts

President Donald Trump has turned up the heat on Senate Majority Leader John Thune over the stalled SAVE America Act, a measure that would impose nationwide voter ID requirements and other election changes long sought by the White House. The public friction comes as Republicans also grapple with confirmation hurdles for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, whose nomination has been slowed by concerns over a proposed $1.8 billion fund to cover legal costs for Trump allies and some January 6 defendants.

Trump told reporters that Thune should be able to round up the votes for the election legislation but left open whether the South Dakota senator remains the right person for the job. "Well, we're going to find out, and I'll let you know," he said when asked directly about Thune's fitness for leadership. The comments mark a shift after months in which Trump had largely avoided direct criticism of the majority leader even as the bill languished.

The SAVE America Act has become a loyalty test within the party, with Trump repeatedly urging Republican senators to move it forward. Yet the measure faces the same arithmetic problem that has blocked other priority legislation: the Senate's 60-vote threshold for most bills. Thune has indicated he lacks the support to force a vote without Democratic backing or changes to Senate rules, a reality that has frustrated the president and his allies.

At the same time, Blanche's path to permanent confirmation has run into resistance from at least two Republican senators, including Texas's John Cornyn. Trump responded with an online attack on Cornyn, accusing him of opposing the compensation fund only after Trump endorsed a primary challenger against the senator. The fund, first floated in a May Justice Department announcement, would draw from a settlement tied to the leak of Trump's tax returns and direct payments to attorneys representing individuals charged in cases ranging from fraud to Capitol riot offenses.

A federal judge has already blocked initial disbursements, and the proposal drew immediate pushback from some congressional Republicans who viewed it as an improper use of public money. Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal defense lawyer, has said the administration will not proceed with the fund but has so far declined to formalize that pledge in writing, leaving open the possibility that it could be revived later.

The twin disputes illustrate the limits of Trump's influence even with a Republican-controlled Senate. While the president can generate pressure through public statements and endorsements, translating that into legislative results has proven difficult on issues requiring broad GOP consensus. Thune's office has not responded directly to Trump's remarks, instead emphasizing the procedural realities that prevent unilateral action on the election bill.

Democrats have seized on the internal Republican tensions to argue that the administration's priorities remain focused on settling political scores rather than addressing broader governance challenges. The compensation fund in particular has drawn scrutiny for potentially directing taxpayer resources toward individuals convicted of crimes tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, many of whom received presidential pardons last year.

As the Senate heads into its August recess, both the election legislation and Blanche's nomination remain unresolved. Trump has framed the delays as evidence of insufficient commitment from Republican leaders, while critics point to the substantive objections raised by senators wary of expanding executive power or creating new financial liabilities for the government. The coming weeks will test whether Thune and other Senate Republicans can navigate these competing pressures without further alienating the White House.