President Donald Trump will spend Independence Day eve in Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-SD) backyard, as Republicans look to gloss over apparent cracks in the critical relationship.
Trump will travel to South Dakota on Friday night to attend a fireworks display and deliver remarks at Mount Rushmore. Thune announced late last week that he would also attend the celebration.
“There is no place I’d rather celebrate America’s 250th birthday than in South Dakota. Fireworks are back at Mount Rushmore, and you can’t beat our state’s iconic monument, the Black Hills, and a clear South Dakota sky as a backdrop for a celebration like this,” Thune wrote in a statement. “I’m looking forward to joining President Trump there to celebrate our great country.”
Though Trump has repeatedly stated he personally likes Thune, the president has also publicly shamed him over his failure to pass the SAVE America Act, his adherence to the Senate’s filibuster rules, and refusal to axe the Senate parliamentarian.
The president additionally rankled the leader by pulling the plug on a planned signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing bill. Trump stated that he would not sign the legislation into law until Senate Republicans pass the SAVE America Act, the president’s endorsed election integrity package that Thune has reiterated does not have enough votes to make it out of the Senate.
Just minutes after Trump’s decision to nix the signing ceremony, Thune sat for an exclusive interview with the Washington Examiner and voiced some displeasure with the president’s decision, given the bipartisan nature of the bill.
“I think it’s a big win, and I hope eventually he’ll find his way to sign it,” he said at the time.
The White House downplayed tension between the president and Senate leader, telling the Washington Examiner that Trump has “enjoyed working closely with Leader Thune and Senate Republicans to deliver on many important promises to the American people.”
“We look forward to continuing these close relationships and fulfilling President Trump’s priorities that Americans elected him to enact,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stated, noting that Trump and Thune closely collaborated to confirm a record number of nominees over the past 18 months and pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer and the Secure America Act, which funds border security.
A former senior White House official, however, acknowledged the “bad optics” of the relationship and suggested that Friday’s event would be an opportunity to smooth over any negative perceptions.
“I think that, at least from President Trump’s side, there isn’t any actual animosity. Yes, the president may be frustrated that the Senate hasn’t moved on all of his priorities, but I know he’s confident in Leader Thune himself,” that person explained. “Friday night is an opportunity to project unity and push back on the rift the media is trying to drive between them.”
But Trump’s frustrations with Senate Republicans spilled over during a closed-door caucus lunch on Capitol Hill last month.
During the meeting, which took place hours after Trump canceled his signing of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the president shouted at lawmakers over a vote the day before to limit his war powers.
Thune did not speak during the meeting but scheduled a symbolic follow-up vote that evening in which two Republicans flipped their original votes.
The Washington Examiner previously reported that Thune and a group of lawmakers called the president immediately after to inform him of their decision.
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Still, there have been whispers that Trump’s former DHS secretary, Kristi Noem, who’d previously spent four terms as the U.S. House representative for South Dakota and two terms as the state’s governor, may seek to run for Thune’s Senate seat.
Trump successfully primaried a number of Republican enemies earlier this election cycle, with several others, including Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), choosing not to seek reelection and face down a Trump-backed challenger. The president’s political advisers declined to answer questions about whether he was considering backing a primary challenger to Thune should he opt to run for reelection in 2028.
