U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has announced that he will not be seeking reelection in 2026. 

This, according to Breitbart News, comes just hours after he and President Donald Trump got into a feud over the "big, beautiful" bill.

Tillis is not a fan of some aspects of the bill, and, accordingly, he voted against it in the initial procedural vote that was held over the weekend. He was joined by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

pic.twitter.com/dL6YS9F69w

— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) June 29, 2025

Tillis releases retirement statement

On Sunday, Tillis released a statement announcing his decision not to seek reelection. It is a lengthy statement, as you can see above.

The senator began:

It has been a blessing to go on a journey from living in a trailer park and making minimum wage as a young man to having the honor of serving as U.S. Senator for North Carolina. I am proud of my career in public service, including hard-fought victories like passing historic tax reform as North Carolina Speaker, and working in the Senate to help pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and confirm three conservative Supreme Court justices and counting.

The senator went on to say that he is "most proud of" the "bipartisan victories," and he criticized congressional leaders for moving away from bipartisanship.

He wrote:

Democrats recently lost two such leaders who were dedicated to making the Senate more of a functional and productive legislative body. They got things done. But they were shunned after they courageously refused to cave to their party bosses to nuke the filibuster for the sake of political expediency. They ultimately retired and their presence in the Senate chamber has been sorely missed every day since.

Tillis concluded, writing, "I look forward to solely focusing on producing meaningful results without the distraction of raising money or campaigning for another election."

Trump responds

It did not take long for President Trump to release a statement on Tillis's decision.

The president wrote, simply, "Great News! 'Senator' Thom Tillis will not be seeking reelection."

In a separate post, Trump went after Tillis for opposing the bill.

The president wrote:

Looks like Senator Thom Tillis, as usual, wants to tell the Nation that he’s giving them a 68% Tax Increase, as opposed to the Biggest Tax Cut in American History! At the same time, he is unable to understand the importance of a Debt Extension, which Republicans gave to the Democrats just prior to the November 5th Election, because of its significance, and how important it was for the future of the U.S.A.

The president, in another post, added, "Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against ‘Senator Thom’ Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks . . ."