Trump Demands Thune Fire Parliamentarian Blocking Funds

President Donald Trump attacked Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Truth Social Monday, demanding he fire Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough and accusing her of treating Republicans “horribly” while favoring Democrats. Trump’s post also targeted Senator Mitch McConnell, describing him as “very disloyal” to Thune and claiming McConnell allowed MacDonough to remain in her position to direct “trillions of dollars to the Democrats.” Trump has rarely attacked McConnell during his second term, making this public strike notable.

MacDonough blocked $1 billion in taxpayer funding for Trump’s ballroom project from a budget reconciliation bill, determining it violated the Byrd Rule prohibiting non-budgetary items from passing with a simple majority vote. Trump framed her ruling as evidence of bias, claiming she would have approved the proposal “easily” and that her continued tenure prevents passage of his “SAVE AMERICA ACT.” Trump previously demanded Thune fire MacDonough after she blocked the ballroom funds, threatening Republicans they would be “looking for a job much sooner than you thought possible” if they refused.

McConnell recently contradicted Trump by denouncing his anti-weaponization fund as “morally wrong,” directly criticizing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for requesting a “slush fund to pay people who assault cops.” McConnell, who announced last year he would not seek reelection, has positioned himself as an occasional check on Trump’s most extreme demands, though he served as Senate leader while MacDonough worked under Democratic leadership and Trump has repeatedly pressured Republicans to remove her.

The demands to remove MacDonough represent Trump’s ongoing pressure on Republican leadership to eliminate institutional guardrails protecting the budget process. MacDonough, appointed during the Obama administration, has functioned as an independent arbiter applying the Byrd Rule to both parties’ proposals. Trump’s insistence that she be replaced with someone “favorable to his agenda” directly attacks the parliamentary independence designed to maintain legislative integrity.

Government watchdog reports show donors to Trump’s ballroom project secured over $50 billion in new or expanded federal contracts within six months, demonstrating the scale of personal enrichment at stake in removing budget constraints. Trump’s personal financial interest in the ballroom funding conflicts directly with his authority over federal spending, yet he demands loyalty from Senate Republicans to override parliamentary safeguards that prevent his self-dealing.(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-takes-a-swing-at-mitch-mcconnell-in-fiery-call-for-gop-to-fire-senate-parliamentarian/)