2026-06-24T08:00:25.532Z / 美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）
尽管唐纳德·特朗普总统是共和党领袖，但在参议院层面，多数党领袖约翰·图恩依然说了算。
据熟悉特朗普想法的人士透露，特朗普将于周三在美国国会山与参议院共和党议员共进午餐，他因自己推动某些有争议的优先事项时屡屡遭到这位参议院领袖的反对而愈发不耐烦。但距离中期选举仅剩不到五个月，图恩所获得的支持力度是任何领导人都难以企及的，身边还有不少近年来态度变得更加强硬的同事，他们比以往任何时候都更敢于反抗共和党政府。
在对参议院工作人员和议员进行的十多次采访中，图恩的共和党同僚表示，这段时间对这位多数党领袖来说充满不确定性，他不得不逐一化解特朗普制造的政治麻烦。但如果说特朗普因图恩不肯听命而感到沮丧，那么这位南达科他州议员的许多同僚都很感激他愿意冒着与总统交恶的政治风险，确保共和党仍有机会守住参议院多数席位。
在接下来的几个月里，图恩必须继续在两条线之间走钢丝：既要忠于要求绝对服从的总统，又要保护自身和面临各自政治逆风的同僚。
“总统提出的要求永远都无法满足，那我们为什么要走进死胡同？这就是约翰面临的处境，”即将退休的参议员汤姆·蒂利斯说道，“约翰·图恩是一位非凡的领袖，他有着约伯般的耐心。”
这位北卡罗来纳州的共和党议员补充道：“我根本干不了他的工作。”
数月来，特朗普一直对图恩拒绝在11月中期选举前强行通过一项全面的联邦选举改革法案感到愤怒。这位总统认为，这项法案至关重要，必要时甚至可以废除阻挠议事规则来推进。据熟悉相关讨论的人士透露，特朗普在与盟友的私下谈话中抱怨图恩没有为他的优先事项全力奋斗，还抱怨自己已经听够了这位多数党领袖解释为何席位微弱的参议院无法落实他的要求。
图恩已在公开和私下场合明确表示，没有足够票数通过总统的选举改革法案，尽管他多次同意将该法案纳入议事日程，最近一次是在本月参议院就移民执法资金法案进行的马拉松式投票环节中。图恩拒绝了特朗普要求解雇参议院无党派规则裁判——议会主事官——或是废除阻挠议事规则以强行通过法案的呼吁。
“情况不太妙。我的意思是，总统需要多数党领袖来推动他的议程通过，”近日在初选中败给特朗普支持的候选人的得克萨斯州共和党参议员约翰·科宁在接受记者采访时谈及特朗普与图恩的关系现状，“据我所知，约翰·图恩除了告诉总统真相之外别无过错，真相就是没有足够的票数支持这项法案。”
特朗普与图恩之间的裂痕反映了共和党在中期选举关键数月内应如何行动的更大分歧，此次选举可能会让共和党失去国会多数席位，导致白宫议程陷入停滞。
阿拉巴马州共和党参议员汤米·图伯维尔表示，周三的午餐是一场“清算日”，有望化解部分分歧。
“我们必须作为一个团队团结起来。现在我们有点像一盘散沙，”这位阿拉巴马州共和党议员说道。
出于个人信念，再加上少数直言不讳的议员的鼓动，特朗普一直在敦促共和党毫无保留地推行他最雄心勃勃的要求，坚称他的政治直觉将引领共和党走向胜利——前提是他们愿意听从他的指挥。
与此同时，图恩领导的参议院共和党会议大多对总统的优先事项感到失望，并越来越相信，在11月守住参议院多数席位，可能需要在特朗普一些最具争议的要求上与其划清界限。
近期，在白宫与参议院共和党人就特朗普新任命的代理情报局长比尔·普尔特尔发生对峙，以及总统试图设立18亿美元基金（批评人士称该基金主要惠及政治支持者和盟友）的计划流产后，这一分歧进一步加深。就在特朗普到访国会山的前一天，参议院投票对特朗普在伊朗问题上的行动加以限制。
应对这些危险局面的重任无一例外地落到了图恩肩上。他小心翼翼地处理共和党议员对普尔特尔的不满情绪，并与民主党人合作，试图迅速确认杰伊·克莱顿出任该职位的提名，结果总统取消了确认听证会，打乱了整个进程。
当司法部“反武器化”基金危及一项大规模国土安全拨款法案的支持票时，图恩花费数小时说服参议员比尔·卡西迪投票反对民主党修正案——该修正案原本会破坏该法案。这使得三位面临连任的共和党参议员得以投票支持民主党人，反对这项不受欢迎的基金。
而当参议员们在汽油价格飙升之际，不得不就是否为特朗普的白宫宴会厅项目拨款数百万美元左右为难时，图恩给了议员们自行表态的空间。
“我不确定还有谁能像约翰·图恩那样出色地完成这项工作，”北达科他州共和党参议员凯文·克拉默说道，“他很好地落实了总统的议程，但从未完全向总统屈服。这并非因为他在某些事情上不会妥协，而是他了解自己的选民群体，也就是其他52位共和党参议员。”
如今，图恩领导的会议也变得更加敢于公开表达对总统的不满。两位共和党参议员——科宁和卡西迪——均在今年春季的初选中败给了特朗普支持的候选人，加上即将退休的蒂利斯，他们如今都摆脱了连任的束缚。
几位议员和助手告诉CNN，目睹总统支持科宁的对手——尤其是在许多人看来这位得克萨斯州参议员对总统颇为忠诚的情况下——这一教训也在共和党会议内部产生了反响。
“共和党一直对总统毕恭毕敬，但这似乎并没有带来任何好处，”科宁说道，“我们已经吸取了一些教训。即使你支持总统，也不意味着他会支持你。部分问题在于，2028年面临连任的议员们都在想：‘天啊，这种事会不会落到我头上？’”
图恩的盟友认为，与总统的紧张关系可能只是暂时的。这位以和蔼可亲的中西部风格著称的领袖多年来与特朗普保持着良好的工作关系：推动通过了总统标志性的减税法案，为重大住房改革铺平了道路，以创纪录的速度确认了特朗普的内阁提名，并在定期电话中坦诚地评估了席位微弱的参议院能够实现的目标。
“我认为特朗普是真心喜欢并尊重他的。和其他人相比，这可不是一般的关系，”一位共和党参议员说道。
本月早些时候，特朗普也曾称赞图恩是个“好人”。而图恩也一直在努力与特朗普建立紧密的同盟关系，尽管他明确表示，总统的某些诉求根本没有足够的票数支持，不值得去争取。
有迹象表明，特朗普在一定程度上认识到了图恩的权力局限性，以及他在共和党会议中所获得的巨大支持，因此他拒绝了MAGA阵营部分盟友要求罢免这位多数党领袖的呼声。
“白宫和特朗普总统一直 enjoyed 与图恩领袖和参议院共和党人密切合作，为美国人民实现了许多重要承诺，”白宫发言人阿比盖尔·杰克逊在一份淡化特朗普与图恩分歧的声明中说道，“我们期待继续保持这些密切关系，落实美国人民选举特朗普总统时期望他推进的优先事项。”
然而，近期熟悉情况的人士承认，双方的关系已经变得紧张。
“我认为他目前和约翰·图恩的关系算不上最好，”一位特朗普顾问说道，他形容总统对图恩坚持保留参议院长期以来的惯例尤其感到沮丧，“问题在于特朗普把约翰·图恩看作第二个米奇（麦康奈尔），这可不是什么好事。”
在白宫内部，与众议院议长迈克·约翰逊的不利对比让图恩的地位有所下滑。约翰逊凭借仅以一两票的优势推进政府重大议程，给特朗普及其高级助手留下了深刻印象。
顾问和盟友表示，与图恩相比，约翰逊还投入了大量额外的时间和精力来赢得特朗普的信任——他频繁前往白宫和海湖庄园，并表现出愿意不顾党内反对，想方设法推进特朗普的要求。
“他是个斗士，也理解‘美国优先’阵营的诉求，我不确定图恩是否做到了这一点，”这位特朗普顾问说道。
图恩的辩护者反驳称，众议院和参议院是截然不同的机构，图恩无法依靠与议长相同的机制向特朗普展示他正在为推进总统议程付出的努力。
“如果你是议长，手握218票，那你就掌握了一切。但如果你是参议院多数党领袖，在任何一天，总会有三四位议员出于各种原因有自己的诉求或强烈的立场，”前众议院议长纽特·金里奇说道，他与白宫关系密切。
但他补充道：“我认为特朗普对宪法程序并不特别感兴趣，他也不太关心图恩面临的困境。”
在周三这场高风险的午餐会前，图恩表示，他希望同僚们能向总统明确表示，阻碍特朗普议程的并非只有他一人，他只是共和党会议的传声筒。
“我所说的无疑也是我的许多同僚都会认同或表达的观点，”图恩说道，“如果其他人也能站出来发声，而不只是我一个人，那总是好事。”
特朗普对图恩的不满正值其他参议员审视总统的支持率并与之保持距离之际。美国有线电视新闻网近期的民调显示，约三分之二的选民认为特朗普的政策加剧了美国的经济困境。
图恩还招致了活跃选民阵营和党内保守派的愤怒，比如犹他州共和党参议员迈克·李，他明确表示认为多数党领袖本可以为总统的优先事项付出更多努力。
“挡在我们和胜利之间的只有努力不够，”李本周在X平台上写道。
“他有权按照自己的意愿沟通。但归根结底，我必须面对现实。有时候X上的另一个宇宙并不反映现实情况，”图恩在回应李在网上的密集批评时告诉记者。
CNN的特德·巴雷特、摩根·里默和萨拉·费里斯为本报道撰稿。
Trump is growing tired of hearing ‘no’ from Thune. GOP senators are lining up behind the majority leader
2026-06-24T08:00:25.532Z / CNN
President Donald Trump may be the head of the Republican Party, but when it comes to the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune is still in charge.
Trump, who will attend lunch with Senate Republicans at the US Capitol on Wednesday, is growing tired of hearing “no” from the Senate leader as he pushes certain controversial priorities, according to people familiar with his thinking. But Thune is sitting on as much support as any leader could with less than five months until the midterms, and is surrounded by some emboldened colleagues who are more willing than they have been in years to take on the Republican administration.
In more than a dozen interviews with Senate staff and members, Thune’s GOP colleagues contend it’s been a precarious stretch for the majority leader as he has been forced to disarm one Trump-devised political grenade after another. But if Trump is frustrated that Thune doesn’t follow orders, many of the South Dakota lawmaker’s colleagues are grateful the majority leader is willing to risk his own political future with the president to ensure the party has a fighting chance at holding its majority.
For the next several months, Thune must continue walking that tightrope between loyalty to a president who demands it and protection of an institution and colleagues who are facing their own political headwinds.
“The president is creating terms that will never ever be satisfied, so why are we walking into a boxed canyon? That’s what John is confronted with,” retiring Sen. Thom Tillis said. “John Thune is an extraordinary leader. He has the patience of Job.”
The North Carolina Republican added, “I could not do his job.”
Trump has fumed for months over Thune’s refusal to jam through a sweeping federal elections overhaul bill ahead of November’s midterms — a measure the president has argued is critical enough to warrant eliminating the filibuster if necessary. In private conversations with allies, Trump has vented that Thune is not fighting hard enough for his priorities, people familiar with the discussions say, and complained that he’s tired of hearing the majority leader give him reasons why the narrowly divided Senate can’t carry out his demands.
Thune has made clear publicly and privately that the votes are not there to pass the president’s voting bill, even as he agreed to bring it up repeatedly, most recently as part of the Senate’s marathon voting session this month to pass an immigration enforcement funding package. Thune has declined Trump’s calls to fire the parliamentarian — the Senate’s nonpartisan rules referee — or to kill the filibuster to jam it through.
“It’s not good. I mean, the president depends on the majority leader to get his agenda passed,” Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who recently lost a primary to a Trump-backed challenger, told reporters about the state of Trump and Thune’s relationship. “As far as I can tell, John Thune is guilty of nothing except telling the president the truth, which is there are not the votes.”
The rift between Trump and Thune reflects a broader divide over how the GOP should spend the crucial months ahead of midterm elections that could cost the party its congressional majority and bring the White House’s agenda to a halt.
The lunch on Wednesday, Sen. Tommy Tuberville said, is a chance for a “day of reckoning” to iron out some of those differences.
“We gotta stay together as a team. Right now, we’re kind of a split group,” the Alabama Republican said.
Trump, driven by personal conviction and encouraged by a handful of vocal lawmakers, has pressed Republicans to pursue his most ambitious demands with abandon, insisting that his political instincts will guide the GOP to victory — if only they’d just listen to him.
Thune, meanwhile, presides over a Senate Republican conference that has largely grown dismayed by the president’s priorities — and increasingly convinced that preserving the party’s majority in November may require bucking Trump on some of his most controversial demands.
That divide has deepened in recent weeks amid standoffs between the White House and Senate Republicans over Trump’s new acting intelligence chief, Bill Pulte, and the president’s aborted attempt to create a $1.8 billion fund that critics say would have largely benefited political supporters and allies. And one day before Trump’s visit to the Hill, the Senate voted to rein in the president on Iran.
Navigating those perilous moments has invariably fallen to Thune. He carefully managed GOP senators’ discomfort with Pulte and worked with Democrats to try to swiftly confirm nominee Jay Clayton to take the role, only to have the president derail the process by canceling the confirmation hearing.
When the Department of Justice “anti-weaponization” fund imperiled support for a massive homeland security funding bill, Thune spent hours working to convince Sen. Bill Cassidy to vote against a Democratic amendment that would have torpedoed the bill. That allowed three Republican senators facing reelection to vote with Democrats in a stand against the unpopular fund.
And when senators were tap dancing around the idea of having to vote for millions of dollars in funding toward Trump’s White House ballroom project as gas prices skyrocketed, Thune gave his members space to stake out their own positions.
“I am not sure anybody else could do it as well as John Thune has done it,” said GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. “He delivers on the president’s agenda quite nicely but never completely caves into the president. Not because he wouldn’t on certain things, but he understands his constituency, which, ya know, is 52 other Republican senators.”
Thune is now also leading a conference that has become slightly more emboldened to publicly register discontent with the president. Two GOP senators — Cornyn and Cassidy — both lost primaries to Trump-backed candidates this spring, and they, along with the retiring Tillis, are now free from the shackles of reelection.
The lesson of watching the president endorse Cornyn’s opponent — especially when many viewed the Texas senator as largely loyal to the president — has also reverberated within the conference, several members and aides told CNN.
“Republicans have been deferential to the president to a point that doesn’t seem to have done any good,” Cornyn said. “We’ve learned some lessons. If you support the president, it doesn’t mean he’s going to support you. Part of the problem is people who are up in 2028 are thinking, ‘Holy crap, could this happen to me?’”
Thune allies argue the tension with the president may merely be a blip. The leader, with his affable Midwestern style, has maintained a strong working relationship with Trump for years, delivering the president his signature tax cut bill, finding a path forward on major housing reform, confirming Trump’s Cabinet at a historic clip, and candidly laying out his assessment on what is possible with a narrowly divided Senate in regular phone calls.
“I think Trump genuinely likes and respects him. Compare that to some other people, that isn’t the dynamic that exists,” one GOP senator said.
Trump has often complimented Thune, calling him a “good man” earlier this month. And Thune has sought to develop a close alliance with Trump, even as he’s made clear that some of the president’s desires simply don’t have votes to make them worth pursuing.
In a sign that Trump to some degree recognizes the limits of Thune’s powers — and the enormous support he maintains within the GOP conference — he has refused to entertain calls by some MAGA allies to try to depose the majority leader.
“The White House and President Trump have enjoyed working closely with Leader Thune and Seante Republicans to deliver on many important promises to the American people,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement downplaying the difference between Trump and Thune. “We look forward to continuing these close relationships and fulfilling President Trump’s priorities that Americans elected him to enact.”
Yet in recent weeks, those close to the situation acknowledged the relationship has frayed.
“I don’t think he has the best relationship in the world right now with John Thune,” said one Trump adviser, who described the president as particularly frustrated with Thune’s insistence on preserving long-held Senate customs. “The problem is Trump looks at John Thune as Mitch 2.0, and that’s not a good thing.”
In some parts of the White House, Thune’s standing has eroded amid unfavorable comparisons with House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has impressed Trump and his senior aides by advancing major parts of the administration’s agenda with only one- or two-vote margins.
Johnson, advisers and allies said, has also put in extraordinary time and effort to win Trump’s trust compared with Thune — frequently traveling to the White House and Mar-a-Lago and demonstrating a willingness to find creative ways to advance Trump’s demands regardless of the blowback within his conference.
“He’s a fighter and he understands the ‘America First’ base, and I’m not sure if Thune does,” the Trump adviser said.
Thune’s defenders counter that the House and Senate are vastly different institutions, and that Thune can’t rely on the same mechanisms to show Trump how he’s working to get his agenda passed.
“If you’re the speaker and you have 218 votes, you have everything. But if you’re the Senate majority leader, you’re always going to have three or four people who for various reasons on any given day need something or feel strongly about something,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who remains close to the White House.
But, he added: “I think Trump is not particularly interested in constitutional process, and he’s not particularly interested in Thune’s problems.”
Ahead of Wednesday’s high-stakes lunch, Thune has said he hopes his colleagues make it clear to the president that the majority leader isn’t alone standing in the way of Trump’s agenda, but that he is only the messenger for the GOP conference.
“I am not saying anything that isn’t a view that wouldn’t be shared or articulated by a lot of my colleagues for sure,” Thune said. “It’s always helpful if others would speak up and it’s not just me.”
Trump’s irritation with Thune is also coming at a time when other senators are looking at the president’s approval ratings and creating some distance. Recent CNN polling shows roughly two-thirds of voters believe Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the US.
Thune is also attracting ire from an animated base and conservatives in his ranks like Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, who has made clear he believes the majority leader could fight harder for the president’s priorities.
“The only thing standing between us and victory is hard work,” Lee wrote on X this week.
“It’s his prerogative to communicate how he wants to communicate. But at the end of the day, I have to deal with reality. And sometimes the alternative universe that is X doesn’t reflect the facts on the ground,” Thune told reporters in response to Lee’s intensive push online.
CNN’s Ted Barrett, Morgan Rimmer and Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.