White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump’s patience with Senate Majority Leader John Thune is “running out” over the stalled SAVE America Act, a voting bill Trump has made a top legislative priority. Leavitt made the remarks on July 23 after Trump singled out Thune at a Georgia speech the previous day, urging Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster and pass the legislation before the August recess.
“His patience is running out,” Leavitt told reporters. “He wants to see as much of the SAVE America Act passed as possible by the August recess. He knows that’s what the American people want to see passed.”
The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship and voter ID to vote in federal elections and prohibit universal mail-in voting. The House has passed the bill three times, but it has stalled in the Senate despite Republicans holding a 53-47 majority. All Senate Democrats oppose the legislation, and four Republicans—Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina—voted against adding it to a budget package in June, making passage difficult even without the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
At his July 22 rally in Marietta, Georgia, Trump pressured Thune directly. “I’m trying to be nice, trying to be really nice,” Trump said. “But we’re not going to take it much longer when they can’t get passed voter ID, proof of citizenship, no mail-in ballots, because they’re crooked as hell.” Trump called for Senate Republicans to “terminate the filibuster” and told the audience to contact Thune and demand he pass the bill.
Thune pushed back against Leavitt’s remarks in a sharp response. “She or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes, right?” he told reporters. “Instead of pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats.” Thune has previously stated that Senate Republicans lack the votes to eliminate the filibuster, a core obstacle to the bill’s passage.
The tension reflects a broader strain between Trump and his party’s Senate leader over legislative priorities. In June, Trump warned he would oppose reauthorization of government spending bills unless the Senate moved on the SAVE Act, effectively linking the voting bill to must-pass government funding legislation. House Speaker Mike Johnson has attempted to bypass the Senate filibuster by including elements of the SAVE Act in a budget reconciliation package, but the Senate parliamentarian could block this approach if deemed a voting overhaul rather than a budget measure.
Sources
- USA Today — Leavitt’s July 23 statement that Trump’s patience is “running out,” Trump’s July 22 Georgia speech remarks, details of the SAVE Act requirements, the four Republican senators’ June opposition vote, and Thune’s response
- The Hill — Confirmation of the four Republicans’ votes against the SAVE Act in June 2026 and Thune’s statement about lacking votes to eliminate the filibuster
- Fox News — Thune’s prioritization of a continuing resolution to fund the government over the SAVE America Act
