Senator Thom Tillis might be retiring, but that hasn’t kept him out of the President’s verbal crosshairs today!
The outgoing Senator had a few salty things to say about the President’s proposed anti-weaponization fund…
And President Trump had a few things to say in return — to put it mildly.
This all went down as part of the shenanigans going on in the Senate today, as the GOP majority completely forgot the MEANING of the word ‘majority’.
In case you missed it, Republicans basically abandoned the funding bill for DHS and ICE — and went on vacation, instead!
Things are so ridiculous among Senate Republicans right now that the Senate Majority Leader openly confessed that the decision to abandon that vote was partly a political hit against President Trump — by REPUBLICANS!
Here’s some of our coverage on that, here:
Senate Majority Leader Thune has edged towards downright disrespect towards President Trump today.
And for his part, Republican Senator Thom Tillis let fly multiple verbal arrows intended to sting the President publicly, as well.
He flippantly tossed around two derisive phrases aimed at President Trump (in more than one public interview, I might add).
One of those phrases -- 'stupid on stilts' -- the Senator used to characterize the anti-weaponization fund as a whole.
The other -- 'payouts for punks' -- was aimed at his assertion that the fund would end up paying people who assault police officers.
We'll get more into the nitty-gritty of what Tillis said in a moment. But first... the GOOD STUFF.
Here's how President Trump responded, as reported by The Hill:
President Trump tore into Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) on Friday morning after the Republican lawmaker criticized the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) newly debuted “anti-weaponization fund.”
The president referred to Tillis’s decision to retire following repeated clashes between the North Carolina senator and the White House.
“The media said how brave he was to take me on, but he wasn’t brave, he was just the opposite – HE WAS A QUITTER!” Trump wrote.
“Now he can have all the fun he wants for a few months, with some of his RINO friends, screwing the Republican Party,” he continued, using an acronym for “Republican in name only.”
The president added, “In the end it will only get bigger, and better, and stronger, than ever before!!!”
The DOJ announced the creation of a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” on Monday as part of a settlement the president reached with the IRS, in exchange for which he agreed to drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the agency over leaked tax documents.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the fund is intended “for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”
ADVERTISEMENTTillis knocked the idea of Jan. 6 rioters receiving government payouts from this fund.
“These people don’t deserve restitution. Many of them deserve to be in prison,” he told reporters Thursday. (Emphasis added.)
If you noticed the portions of that story I put in bold -- Tillis really did say that.
A 'Republican' Senator in 2026 is STILL pushing the narrative that J6ers should be "in prison".
Just let that sink in; and with that in mind...
Here's the Truth Social post that President Trump let fly in response to Tillis' barbed arrows:
Here's the full text of the President's post, in case that's hard to make out:
People don’t remember that Thom Tillis, the weak and ineffective Senator from the Great State of North Carolina, a State I won, including primaries, 6 consecutive times, didn’t have the courage to fight it out in the Senate, remain in place, and run again for office, a thing he desperately wanted to do. I called him a “Nitpicker,” always fighting against the Republican Party, and ME, mostly on things that didn’t matter. When I told him that I would not, under any circumstances, endorse him for another run, too much work and drama (he couldn’t have won, anyway!), he immediately quit the race and publicly announced that he was going to “retire.” I said, “Wow, great news, that was easy!” The media said how brave he was to take me on, but he wasn’t brave, he was just the opposite - HE WAS A QUITTER! Now he can have all the fun he wants for a few months, with some of his RINO friends, screwing the Republican Party. In the end it will only get bigger, and better, and stronger, than ever before!!! President DJT
At first glance, I mistakenly thought the President was referring to the $1.776 Billion anti-weaponization fund getting "bigger, and better, and stronger" -- in spite of RINO's like Thom Tillis.
On second glance, I realized he probably meant the Republican Party would be that much better off without the likes of Tillis!
OUCH! (I bet that one landed.)
Back to the J6 angle Tillis keeps bringing up, and his assertion that J6ers should actually still be locked up.
Check out this next clip from a CNN interview.
This was actually from yesterday, but Tillis used that 'stupid on stilts' phrase in that instance as well! It's his new favorite catchphrase!
This moment in the interview is when he was quoted in the previously quoted article from The Hill, in which he lays out how he REALLY feels about the J6ers pardoned by President Trump:
Tillis: These people don't deserve restitution. Many of them deserve to be in prison. This is just stupid on stilts.
Reporter: Do you think you have colleagues that share the same concerns—
Tillis: They do and they need to speak up. This is beyond the pale. This is not good for… pic.twitter.com/1WWn8tYNmd
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 22, 2026
The derision he feels towards J6er's couldn't be more palpable.
In a follow-up Truth Social post, President Trump (in striking contrast to Sen. Tillis...) is actually focused on "helping others" who were victimized just like he was by the WEAPONIZATION surrounding J6.
Here's the text of that secondary post from the President:
I gave up a lot of money in allowing the just announced Anti-Weaponization Fund to go forward. I could have settled my case, including the illegal release of my Tax Returns and the equally illegal BREAK IN of Mar-a-Lago, for an absolute fortune. Instead, I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration, receive, at long last, JUSTICE! President DJT
Thank God SOMEONE is still working on protecting the non-elites in America!
In one interview on the issue of the President's anti-weaponization fund, Tillis poses a question about the logic of ever paying restitution to people who either:
- Pled guilty.
- Were found guilty.
That's where the soundbites stop, and the real rubber meets the road.
Here's that clip:
I can think of one very noteworthy instance in which someone who either PLED GUILTY or was FOUND GUILTY should be payed restitution.
How about if bad actors inside the government, inside the intel agencies, inside the federal law enforcement agencies, inside the DOJ -- the White House -- WEAPONIZES THE SYSTEM to force those outcomes?
Of course, there are plenty of other 'Republicans' (...McConnell, who is also retiring...) and Democrats (...Schumer, of course...) who are attacking President Trump over this fund proposal as well, according to this from the Wall Street Journal:
The “anti-weaponization” fund is a Trump priority, after he alleged for years that his supporters, including those prosecuted over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, had been targeted unfairly by the Biden administration.
But its creation has run into blowback in the Senate, and the immigration-enforcement bill gave senators leverage to dig in their heels.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.), a frequent target of Trump criticism who is retiring, called it a “payout pot for punks.”
“So the nation’s top law-enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong—take your pick,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), the former GOP leader who is retiring after this term.
“We’ll do everything we can to stop this slush fund, whether it’s in the courts, whether it’s legislative,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y).
I bet you will, Chucky.
I want to play one more video of a slightly more toned-down Thom Tillis.
In this clip, he attempts to explain his actual problem with the fund.
Here's the Senator's explanation:
Firstly, I have to AGAIN point to his problem with J6ers! Wow!
But his actual argument in a more general sense, as he put it, is the concern that American tax dollars will wind up in the pockets of people who have assaulted law enforcement.
He makes the VERY REASONABLE argument -- I'll give him that -- regarding the worry that this fund might be used as a political payout system for those willing to do the left's bidding in getting violent with Cops.
At least, that's my most generous understanding of the Senator's worry.
And... I agree. Except for one thing.
Congress would still control the fund. At the end of the day, CONGRESS would still be able to control who does -- or does not -- get that money.
And here's why I used the word 'RINO' in this story, even though it gets thrown around fairly loosely.
Thom Tillis is the epitome of what a RINO really is.
He has been in that position for so long and seen the negatives happen so often, that he balks at the prospect of a GOOD IDEA.
HE'S NOT USED to someone like Donald J. Trump, thinking outside the box for solutions to real problems.
All Thom Tillis knows is kicking that can down the road, just like we did yesterday, and doing it again tomorrow.
He's afraid.
He's afraid... of the very real worries that something bad might happen as an unintended consequence of creating a solution to a real problem. (I'm forgetting for a moment that he thinks the J6ers ARE the problem to begin with!)
But that's what a RINO in it's most basic essence does -- forgets that it's okay to come up with a solution to a real problem (particularly when that problem IS THE GOVERNMENT!).
And then accept that you'll have to mold and shape that solution -- like, maybe... an anti-weaponization fund to protect the regular folks -- as you go!
Are people inevitably going to try to misuse the thing? Sure! People are going to try to misuse EVERYTHING!
But does that stop us from putting forth good-faith solutions to problems caused by the GOVERNMENT, with the intention of protecting INDIVIDUALS from government weaponization of the system?
Good Lord -- is there ANYTHING more worthy of a US Senator's time and attention than that?
Isn't that the entire POINT!? To protect individuals from tyrannical government?
The Senator uses the word 'stupid' a lot.
Stupid... is neglecting any solution at all... because of the possibility of imperfections.
He's the US Congress. Or, at least he will be... for a little while longer.
Maybe he should learn to act like it, and FIX THE PROBLEMS rather than just attacking everything out of the box that doesn't equate to kicking that can down the road.
Not to mention the ACTUAL SLUSH FUND that he voted in favor of for Congress members to the tune of $500,000 per Senator, for -- what???
Restitution? I believe that's what the Senator agreed was NEEDED for Senators who had the system WEAPONIZED against them by the Biden regime, was it not:
Tillis voted for a $500,000 per senator fund for senators who were illegally spied on by the Biden. It wasn’t available to any normal Americans whose rights had been violated—just senators. But now Tillis is mad that actual American citizens might receive restitution. What a… https://t.co/M5GZER43yI
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 21, 2026
President Trump alluded to a far better Republican Party without the likes of Thom Tillis in it.
Once again, I think Trump was right... all along.
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