According to the Gateway Pundit, Thune (R?SD) has rebuffed mounting pressure from Trump and grassroots conservatives who want the GOP leadership to prioritize securing U.S. elections ahead of the midterms, opting instead to preserve the Senate’s procedural status quo.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Thune said on Monday when pressed by ABC News about altering the Senate’s 60?vote threshold to advance legislation, a rule that effectively allows Democrats and a handful of moderates to block conservative priorities.
TRUMP’S EMBATTLED LABOR CHIEF QUITS AFTER VEGAS STRIP-CLUB SCANDALS AND ‘BOYTOY’ ALLEGATIONS EXPLODE
March 10, 2026
This refusal directly undercuts Trump’s urgent push for the SAVE America Act, a measure designed to crack down on voter fraud and ensure that only American citizens cast ballots in federal elections.
REP. HILLARY SCHOLTEN'S DIVORCE CONTROVERSY: IMPACT ON RE-ELECTION AND QUESTIONS OF TRANSPARENCY
Thune attempted to strike a conciliatory tone while still signaling he would not break with the Senate’s entrenched norms.
“The president clearly is very interested in getting the SAVE America bill up and voted on, although he wants a modified version of it, and so we’ll do our best to do that,” Thune said, before immediately hedging on whether he would actually deliver the outcome Trump and his supporters are demanding.
MAINE GOVERNOR FILES TO REFUND FRAUDSTERS ANY TAXPAYER DOLLARS CUT BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
“But the one thing I’ve said all along is, and I’ve told him and others, that I can’t guarantee an outcome. I can’t guarantee a result. If the result is only achieved by nuking the legislative filibuster, we don’t have the votes to do that and so that’s not a — that’s just not a realistic option.” For many conservatives, that posture sounds less like principled leadership and more like an excuse to avoid confronting Democrats and establishment Republicans who are content with a porous election system.
Thune’s comments came on the heels of a blistering post from Trump on his social media platform, where the former president made clear he views the SAVE America Act as non-negotiable. “Great Job by hard working Scott Pressler on Fox & Friends talking about using the Filibuster, or Talking Filibuster, in order to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, an 88% issue with ALL VOTERS. It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else. MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE.
I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION – GO FOR THE GOLD: MUST SHOW VOTER I.D. & PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS EXCEPT FOR MILITARY – ILLNESS, DISABILITY, TRAVEL: NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS: NO TRANSGENDER MUTILIZATION FOR CHILDREN! DO NOT FAIL!!!”
Trump has framed the legislation not only as an election integrity measure but as a broader defense of traditional values, tying voter ID and citizenship verification to protections for women’s sports and children against radical gender ideology.
STEVE HILTON TORCHES MEDIA NARRATIVE AND BLAMES 16 YEARS OF DEMOCRAT RULE FOR CALIFORNIA’S COLLAPSE
The former president also floated the idea of a “talking filibuster” as a way to force the issue under existing Senate rules, a tactic that would require Republicans to physically hold the floor and sustain debate.
But Thune quickly dismissed that strategy as well, warning that without formal rule changes, such an effort could devolve into a “monthslong” spectacle that would consume the chamber’s schedule, according to ABC News.
WATCH: TIM KAINE’S REMARKS ON VOTING SET OFF IMMEDIATE BACKLASH
“Our time in the Senate is a finite resource and it’s something that we need to use wisely and well to get as much done as we can,” Thune argued, suggesting that protecting legislative bandwidth outweighs the push to restore confidence in America’s elections. Last month, he acknowledged that his conference is “not unified” on using a talking filibuster to force a vote on the SAVE Act, underscoring the divide between the party’s populist base and its institutional leadership.
STEVE BANNON ALLEGES 'CONTROLLED CONFRONTATION' BEHIND BARTIROMO–PATEL ELECTION CLASH
This is not the first time Thune has been accused by conservatives of undercutting Trump’s agenda at a pivotal moment.
Previously, the Senate leader helped orchestrate a procedural maneuver to block Trump from making key “recess appointments” during the August break, a move that effectively aligned with Democrats’ obstruction of the administration’s personnel choices.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the president can make “recess appointments,” temporary appointments to federal positions, if the Senate is in recess and not conducting business, allowing those appointees to serve until the end of the next session of Congress without immediate confirmation. However, by holding pro forma sessions—brief, symbolic meetings where no substantive work occurs—the Senate can technically remain “in session,” thereby preventing the president from legally making such appointments and preserving the bureaucracy that many voters elected Trump to confront.
YOUNG AMERICAN MEN ARE RUSHING BACK TO CHURCH—AND THE NUMBERS JUST STUNNED GALLUP
For conservatives who believe election integrity is the foundation of self?government, Thune’s insistence on protecting Senate procedure over advancing the SAVE America Act raises a stark question about priorities. With Trump vowing, “I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed,” and grassroots activists treating the bill as an “88% issue with ALL VOTERS,” the clash between the America First movement and the Republican establishment is only intensifying—and voters will ultimately decide which vision of the party prevails.
