Trump and Thune Showdown Splinters GOP Unity

CNN: “During the latest high-stakes stretch in the Senate, with Trump’s own Cabinet nominee in trouble, the president’s election-year agenda teetering and a huge Iran funding bill in doubt, Thune told CNN he hadn’t spoken to the president in nearly two weeks. The split between the two has only widened since Trump moved to take out fellow Republican, Sen. John Cornyn, in his primary in May, and as the president has loudly insisted that the Senate nuke the filibuster — a demand the GOP leader has repeatedly rejected.”

Said Thune: “With me, it’s more on an as-needed basis.”

“Now, the increasingly apparent dissonance between the two men is fueling anxiety for many of Thune’s fellow Republicans in Congress, who are defending fragile majorities that are both in play this November.”