“[It] comes down to relationships, and I don't think he's built strong enough relationships. … [W]hy is anybody going to blindly appropriate anything to him?
Back to directory
TT
Senator • North Carolina
Senior United States Senator from North Carolina.
Statements (39)
“[Bipartisan letter to President Trump from 14 senators, led by Jeanne Shaheen and Roger Wicker:] President Putin bears sole responsibility for launching Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. Allowing him to participate in a G20 Summit in the United States raises serious concerns about legitimizing and normalizing a government that continues to attack Ukrainian civilian targets every day. … As Russia continues its war against Ukraine and refuses to agree to a just and lasting peace agreement, its government should not be afforded a business-as-usual treatment alongside other nations at G20 events. … We urge you to reverse course and rescind the invitation to President Putin.
“We've got to break the cycle. … [Explaining his yes vote, Tillis said the administration owes Congress] some strategic clarity around here so we can measure our success.
“It's not like they need a GoFundMe page to have the dollars to do that sort of ad and they could do it. But using taxpayer dollars, it feels like Viktor Orbán.
“It's a WTF moment. … It's not that Xi Jinping is coming here to learn how to become a democratic, capitalist nation. Xi Jinping is trying to understand how his opposition will ultimately embrace their worldview. … If we want to build a relationship, a productive relationship with Xi Jinping and China, we also have to hold him accountable for things that are just simply unacceptable. … I just don't know what has changed. Whatever has changed had to have been at a confidential level, because I haven't seen any public basis for the sea change that we see right now in our posture towards China.
“We are concerned by President Trump's description of Taiwan as 'a very good negotiating chip' in engagements with Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party. … It is difficult to imagine how the United States might credibly project influence deterrence in the Indo-Pacific if the price of keeping up diplomatic appearances is denying our partners key deterrent capabilities. [Letter from Sens. McConnell, Cornyn, Murkowski and Tillis to Secretary of State Rubio and Defense Secretary Hegseth urging release of $300 million in foreign military financing, $1 billion in unobligated Pentagon funds and the $14 billion arms sales package.]
“If I were Donald Trump Jr. I'd be offering this up immediately. Just lay it out there. Maybe there's some sort of context that explains it, but he should be proactive there.
“There are so many headwinds now for these candidates that I hope that the administration gets the point that you can be 90% with the president and speak about the 10% you're not.
“[Tillis said the wedding celebration showed] colossally bad judgment at best[, and said he was open to supporting a probe.]
“That's why I've been critical — I can't, I can't be critical as I have been with Pete Hegseth, and when you see the same behavior, not have the same observation. So I think it's a mistake.
“I disagree with him completely. Come on, it's not a hoax. It's a real thing.
“We're so close. It's just a shame to not take this opportunity.
“I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country.
“If we had a @SecWar who maintained the same priorities and forward-thinking, he would be fighting to retain talented leaders like Dan. Instead, he is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks.
“I urge the President to find a new leader at the Pentagon who will retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it.
“He is intimidated by competence and retreats to ginning up culture wars instead of soberly attending to the vital work of our national defense and the health and well-being of our fighting force.
“We've got 71 days, and right now we don't have a positive message to tell farm country.
“You create that tension, and the party that owns that tension is the party that probably suffers.
“If you think that providing subsidized beef for some period of time is going to make farmers happy and prices go down on a systemic basis, you're wrong. Doesn't happen. We've got 71 days and right now we don't have a positive message to tell farm country.
“South Korea has been a solid military ally for over 70 years that possesses exquisite military capabilities. Reducing joint exercises with South Korea does nothing more than free up thousands of North Korea's troops to support Putin's systematic kidnapping, torture, rape, and murder of innocent Ukrainian citizens.
Showing 20 of 39 statements