Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has embraced what many would see as a political insult and turned it into a badge of defiance. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump publicly labeled Tillis and fellow GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski “losers” after both lawmakers criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her handling of a controversial immigration operation.
Trump’s comments followed backlash from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle after federal agents were involved in the fatal shooting of a protester in Minneapolis. When told of the president’s comments, Tillis didn’t flinch. He said he was actually “thrilled” to be called a “loser.”
“I am thrilled about that,” Tillis told reporters, adding with a hint of irony that the label practically qualifies him to serve as Homeland Security secretary and senior advisor to the president.
How long until EVERY Republican Senator grows a pair and handles Trump like this? pic.twitter.com/k3AdoSF9Ft
— Grant Stern (@grantstern) January 28, 2026
It was an interesting response from a senator who, just last year, announced he would not seek re-election in 2026 after distancing himself from some of his party’s directions and aligning more with bipartisan critiques on issues such as immigration enforcement and legislative priorities.
But it also shows a raw strain of Republican pushback that has been simmering quietly as Trump returns to the national spotlight and reshapes the GOP’s internal dynamics. Tillis’s reaction, seemingly unconcerned with the optics of presidential criticism, is another example of the frustration among some Republicans who believe that immigration enforcement under the current leadership has been mishandled and has become politically toxic.
Tillis’s comments come amid growing GOP unease with the administration’s handling of immigration policy following the deadly Minneapolis incident, which saw federal agents entangled in protests and public scrutiny. A number of Republican lawmakers, including Tillis and Murkowski, have publicly called for Noem to step aside, a rare break from party unity on a Trump-aligned cabinet member.
