President Donald Trump reignited his long-running feud with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Monday while escalating his campaign to remove Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, accusing both of standing in the way of key Republican priorities.
In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to immediately dismiss MacDonough, the Senate’s nonpartisan rules referee, claiming she has consistently ruled against Republican interests.
“Senate Majority Leader John Thune should immediately fire the Parliamentarian, who treats Republicans, and everything that they stand for, horribly!” Trump wrote.
The president went on to blast McConnell, claiming the former Senate Republican leader had “proven to be very disloyal” to Thune and accusing him of keeping MacDonough in her position because he preferred giving “Trillions of Dollars to the Democrats.” Trump also revived his longstanding criticism of McConnell over border wall funding during his first administration.
MacDonough has served as Senate parliamentarian since 2012 after being appointed by then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The parliamentarian’s role is to advise lawmakers on Senate rules and determine whether provisions meet the strict requirements for budget reconciliation legislation.
Trump’s latest outburst appears tied to a recent ruling that blocked roughly $1 billion in proposed funding for Secret Service operations and security enhancements related to the administration’s planned White House ballroom project from being included in a reconciliation package. Under Senate rules, reconciliation bills can bypass the filibuster and pass with a simple majority, but only if provisions are deemed primarily budgetary in nature. MacDonough determined the funding proposal did not comply with those requirements.
The president has repeatedly attacked MacDonough in recent weeks, portraying her as an obstacle to Republican legislative goals. In May, Trump publicly demanded her removal and warned Republicans that failing to replace her could have political consequences.
Despite Trump’s pressure campaign, Senate Republicans have shown little appetite for removing MacDonough. Several GOP senators have defended her role as a nonpartisan arbiter of Senate procedure, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune has signaled that vote counts—not parliamentarian rulings—remain the primary challenge facing several Republican initiatives.
Trump’s criticism of McConnell also comes as tensions between the two Republicans have resurfaced. Although Trump has largely focused his fire on Democrats and political opponents during his second term, McConnell has emerged as one of the most prominent Republican critics of several administration initiatives.
Most recently, McConnell blasted the administration’s proposed anti-weaponization legal defense fund, which would assist individuals prosecuted in connection with actions taken on Trump’s behalf. In a sharply worded statement, McConnell criticized Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and called the proposal “morally wrong.”
“So the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong—take your pick,” McConnell said.
With McConnell set to retire at the end of his current term and no longer seeking reelection, he has become increasingly willing to publicly challenge Trump’s agenda, creating fresh friction within the Republican Party as Senate leaders attempt to advance the president’s legislative priorities.
