North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis' Blunt Text Messages to Donald Trump Revealed

On Saturday, June 6, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, told President Donald Trump in a text message that he “would have immediately told you to f--- yourself” if Trump had ever threatened him directly with a primary challenge.

Tillis included the text as one of two heated messages to Trump in his upcoming book, How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents, which comes out on Tuesday, October 6.

The first text, dated Friday, May 22, shows Tillis pushing back against the president. “I still want to help, but I don’t take this bulls--- from anyone, including you, Mr. President,” Tillis, 66, wrote.

“Save that s--- for the cowards who don’t care if you fail. I care if you fail and right now we are failing.”

It’s unclear what Trump wrote to prompt Tillis’ response. Trump’s replies weren’t included in the screenshots of the text exchanges released before the book’s publication.

Tillis’ anger was even greater in his June 6 text message.

“As I have said before, you NEVER threatened me with a primary challenge. I get that you may have me confused with so many Republicans that you have threatened in the past, but NEVER me,” he wrote.

“If you had ever threatened me directly with a primary, I would have immediately told you to f--- yourself, and I would have announced my retirement immediately. Save those threats and head games for cowards and fools,” Tillis concluded.

Tillis was one of the most high-profile Republicans to oppose Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” After he came out against the bill, Trump called him “a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!” on Truth Social and stated he would support primary challengers running against Tillis, who announced in June 2025 that he would not run for reelection.

In announcing his decision, Tillis said, “In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species.”

He also said, “Too many elected officials are motivated by pure raw politics who really don’t give a damn about the people they promised to represent on the campaign trail.” He’ll retire when his term ends in January.

At first, Tillis and Texas Sen. John Cornyn did not support acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s bid for the permanent position. Tillis urged Blanche to meet with victims of Jeffrey Epstein, and he also pushed the federal government to scrap its “anti-weaponization” fund.

On Saturday, August 1, Trump wrote that if the senators wouldn’t approve Blanche, “then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G.” The next day, an order rescinded the fund, and both senators backed Blanche, according to a report.

The cover of Tillis’ forthcoming book features White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The publisher’s description states that it offers a look at “how the sycophants surrounding President Trump, spineless Republican yes-men (and -women), and the weirdos of the MAGA world can’t get out of their own way.”

Tillis, a senator since 2015 and former speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, said he intended for the book to expose those who “are not giving the president honest advice and putting us in positions that we could avoid” in an August interview on Morning Joe.