From The Hill: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) signaled Wednesday that he’s not at all bothered by President Trump labeling him a “loser.”
“I am thrilled about that. That makes me qualified to be [Department of] Homeland Security secretary and senior adviser to the president,” Tillis told CNN’s Manu Raju on Capitol Hill, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
On Tuesday, Tillis slammed Noem and Miller for their handling of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. The North Carolina Republican also joined a chorus of lawmakers calling for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief to resign.
Trump told ABC News later that day that Tillis and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) are “losers” for calling for Noem’s removal, adding, “They’re terrible senators. One is gone, and the other should be gone.”
Tillis, a frequent critic of President Trump during his second term, is not seeking reelection. He previously voted against the GOP’s signature tax and spending bill and recently questioned the U.S. Department of Justice over its probe into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
His latest criticism targeted Noem and Miller after the fatal shooting of Pretti, calling Noem’s rhetoric “disqualifying.”
“What she’s done in Minnesota should be disqualifying,” he told reporters. “She should be out of a job. It’s just amateurish. It’s terrible.”
On Wednesday, the GOP senator doubled down, claiming that Noem and Miller are making it harder for federal immigration enforcement personnel to do their jobs.
“They’re discrediting even these officers,” Tillis said. “They’re going to make their job more difficult and more dangerous with this incompetence that I’m seeing.”
He added to the argument Thursday, praising border czar Tom Homan’s vow to “fix” immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.
“This is what competent leadership looks like,” he wrote on X, sharing a clip from Homan’s press conference. “Noem and Miller, take notes.”
