Trump Tells Thune ‘Immediately Fire The Parliamentarian’—Testing Grip On Senate Republicans

BreakingBusinessTrump Tells Thune ‘Immediately Fire The Parliamentarian’—Testing Grip On Senate RepublicansBySara Dorn,Forbes Staff. Sara Dorn is a Forbes news reporter who covers politics.Follow AuthorJun 08, 2026, 04:48pm EDTToplinePresident Donald Trump called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to fire the Senate rule-keeper on Monday, the latest sign of tensions between Trump and Thune.Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks to reporters as the Senate votes on amendments to a reconciliation package, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on June 4, 2026. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)Anadolu via Getty ImagesKey FactsTrump said on Truth Social Thune should “immediately fire the Parliamentarian,” Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who Trump said “treats Republicans, and everything that they stand for, horribly!”Trump predicted a GOP-backed voter ID bill, the SAVE America Act, won’t pass with MacDonough in place, after she ruled previously that it can’t be passed with a simple majority vote and would instead need 60 votes to clear the filibuster threshold. MacDonough also ruled the Senate couldn’t approve $1 billion in funding for Trump’s ballroom project as part of an immigration-enforcement funding bill without 60 votes. Trump has previously questioned why Senate Republicans allowed MacDonough to keep her job, but his post on Monday specifically calls out Thune as the majority leader has repeatedly broken with Trump over several hot-button issues in recent weeks. Thune called on Trump to shut down his anti-weaponization fund established in Trump’s IRS settlement, he expressed concern over Trump’s appointment to replace Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, and he maintained his endorsement of Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, even after Trump endorsed Cornyn’s opponent, Ken Paxton, in the primary.Democrats have blocked an effort to extend a spying program, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveill...