Fact Check: Did Trump threaten to strip John Thune as Senate Majority Leader over SAVE Act?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the debate over the passing of the SAVE America Act, a rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that President Donald Trump has threatened to strip Senator John Thune of his position as the Senate Majority Leader if he refuses to push the SAVE Act. The claim has garnered demand for a fact-check.
Claim: Donald Trump threatened to strip John Thune as Senate Majority Leader
🚨PRESIDENT TRUMP IS OFFICIALLY FED UP WITH “JERKY JOHN THUNE” — THREATENS TO STRIP HIM OF MAJORITY LEADER IF HE KEEPS BLOCKING THE SAVE ACT!
— John McAfee 🇺🇸 News (@mcafeenew) August 6, 2026
🔗 https://t.co/pMgRBPgMI7
The real leader of the Republican Party just drew a red line.
President Trump is done waiting on Senate… pic.twitter.com/CxUKetKZZZ
According to a post on X, Trump is fed up with Thune, who continues to refuse to push the SAVE Act and is threatening to remove him as the Senate Majority Leader.
Trump allegedly said, “Jerky John Thune needs to remember that I allowed him to be elected Majority Leader, and I can just as quickly take it away. If he wants to keep his job, he’ll do as he’s told.”
The post also claims that Trump has enough influence over at least 41 Republican senators who would vote according to his wishes, as they view him as the party’s true leader.
The claim drew conflicting responses from online users, with many assuming it to be true, while others called it exaggerated.
Fact Check: Donald Trump made no such threats
However, the claim is false, as no evidence suggests that President Trump threatened to remove Thune as the Senate Majority Leader.
Although Trump and Thune did clash after the latter admitted that Republicans do not have the votes to pass Trump’s preferred election reforms, there are no credible reports, official statements, or social media posts from the president that support the claim.
If the claim was true, it wouldn't go unreported by major media outlets such as the Associated Press, Reuters, etc.
A fact check by Grok confirmed the claim to be false, stating, “The claim that President Trump called Senate Majority Leader John Thune ‘Jerky John Thune’ and explicitly threatened to strip him of the position is not supported by available public statements or reporting.”
Donald Trump and John Thune clash over SAVE Act
The claim surfaced after Trump and Thune recently clashed over the idea of canceling the Senate’s August recess to debate the act, which is Trump’s top legislative priority.
“If I thought there was a path to getting a result, I’m all for it.… We voted on it two, three, four, five times already, had it up on the floor for an extended period of time. Show me how this ends. What’s the picture of victory at the end?” Thune said on July 27.
