Trump threatens to bypass GOP holdouts as Todd Blanche confirmation fight spills into public

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump threatened to keep Todd Blanche as acting attorney general if two Republican senators refuse to confirm him to the post.

The warning thrust Trump's dispute with fellow Republicans into public view. It also tied Blanche's confirmation fight to Trump's push for his broader legal agenda.

Trump pressures GOP senators over Blanche

Trump aired his frustration in a Truth Social post, Saturday, August 1, singling out Sens John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, whom he accused of opposing Blanche after falling out with him politically.

"If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn't Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren't going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G.," Trump wrote.

Blanche has served as acting attorney general since April 2 following the removal of Pam Bondi.

Trump also linked the confirmation battle to legislation he wants Congress to pass, writing that he would "push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED."

Trump ties nomination to legal agenda

The president praised Blanche while arguing that his continued leadership would revive the legislation.

"Todd Blanche was a voice of reason!" Trump wrote. "It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Cornyn and Tillis have been openly opposed to Blanche's confirmation as the nation's permanent attorney general, in part because of the $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Bill initiative.

Trump's remarks framed Blanche's acting status as an alternative if Senate Republicans decline to move forward with the nomination, putting additional public pressure on the two senators.

Cornyn and Tillis broke with Trump

Both lawmakers have recently split with Trump in different ways.

Tillis announced in June 2025 that he would not seek a third Senate term after first winning election in 2014.

Cornyn, meanwhile, lost Trump's backing in his reelection effort after the president endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary. Paxton went on to secure the nomination in May.

Trump referenced those political setbacks directly in his post while arguing they were behind the senators' opposition to Blanche.

Cornyn, a four-term senator first elected in 2002, is scheduled to leave Capitol Hill in 2027.