President Donald Trump is taking a hardball tactic against Republican rebels demanding concessions for their vote to confirm Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.After Blanche’s confirmation hearing was postponed late Wednesday night, Trump took to Truth Social Thursday morning to excoriate the two key holdouts on the Senate Judiciary Committee standing in the way of his personal lawyer becoming the nation’s top prosecutor: Sens.John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C.Trump threatened to withdraw Blanche’s nomination until both are out of office next year.TRUMP AG PICK BLANCHE STALLED AS KEY REPUBLICANS REFUSE TO BUDGEPresident Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 16, 2026.
(Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)"Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it! He has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time," Trump said."However, John Cornyn, of Texas, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, both of whom I refused to Endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action, are refusing to vote for this Great Nominee, who will remain, in any event, as Acting.""Remember, both Cornyn and Tillis voted for Merrick Garland, and others, too numerous to mention," he continued.
"I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office."DEMS REJECT TRUMP’S TOP SPY PICK AFTER DEMANDING REPLACEMENT, LEAVING COUNTER-TERROR TOOL IN AIRWhile Trump did thwart Cornyn’s re-election bid by backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as the Republican nominee, Tillis opted to retire on his own volition last year after raging over Trump's "big, beautiful bill."Cornyn shrugged off the threat almost immediately.Both he and Tillis are in pursuit of explicit, written proposals to modify the settlement deal reached between the IRS and Trump and his family earlier this year."POT...