Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) blasted President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members: White House Deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying he “would fire them.”
“He [Trump] just needs to get some of these people out of there and we will see a different trajectory,” Tillis said on sports personality Stephen A. Smith’s podcast Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith on Wednesday.
Tillis argued that the people who surround Trump are enabling him and pose a bigger problem than the president himself.
Tillis said the administration could change “if you have people that will invest in a relationship with Congress for people like me who want to help him.”
He compared Trump to the “CEO of the largest, most consequential, complex organization in the world,” but said he is not detail-oriented and has “other people” to push his ideas forward.
Tillis maintained that he wants Trump to have a “good legacy” and understands the Cabinet is there to help execute his policies, but called out Kennedy, Hegseth, and Miller by name.
“What I am saying, though, is Stephen Miller, Pete Hegseth, Bobby Kennedy – there’s no cost-benefit there. They’re costing us more than they are benefiting us,” Tillis said.
“None of this is personal to me,” he added.
“I don’t know these guys. They’re not my friends, they’re not my enemies. They are coworkers, and I’m telling ya, I’ve fired my best friend, and I would fire them if I were the president,” he continued.
Tillis also sparred with Smith over concerns from black voters that redistricting efforts are diminishing the black vote.
Tillis said Republicans are “losing ground because of some of these games,” saying efforts to redistrict during an election year have undermined credibility and trust.
Republicans have faced backlash after Trump pushed for mid-cycle redistricting. Critics say the unusual move is intended to help Republicans protect their narrow majority and gain additional seats.
“You know, I’ve called it a couple of things here recently, a phrase I like to refer to as ‘stupid on stilts.’ It doesn’t make sense, and what it’s really doing is replicating the very abhorrent behavior that we accuse Democrats of,” Tillis said.