President Donald Trump sharply criticized Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina on Wednesday, blasting the two Republicans as “losers” after they publicly called for the removal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following controversy surrounding immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis that ended in the fatal shooting of a leftist protester.
Speaking to ABC News, Trump dismissed both lawmakers and questioned their standing within the GOP. “Well, they’re both losers. You know, what can I tell you? They’re terrible senators. One is gone and the other should be gone,” Trump said, referencing Tillis’s decision last year not to seek reelection.
The president contrasted their criticism with what he described as a dramatic turnaround at the southern border under his leadership. Trump said the U.S. has gone from having the weakest border in the world to one of the strongest anywhere. He brushed off Murkowski’s comments, saying she routinely opposes Republicans, and suggested Tillis forfeited his influence once he decided to leave office. “So you know, he lost his voice once he did that,” Trump said.
Trump has repeatedly stood by Noem amid calls for her ouster, saying flatly on Tuesday that she would not step down. He has echoed his long-standing argument that border conditions are far calmer now than they were under the Biden administration, crediting aggressive enforcement for restoring control.
Murkowski and Tillis have at times broken with much of the Republican Party to criticize Trump, aligning themselves more closely with Democrats who have predictably demanded Noem’s removal in recent days. Murkowski said the Department of Homeland Security would be “better served with new leadership,” while acknowledging that the final decision rests with the president.
The backlash has not been limited to Republicans. A DHS spokesperson pushed back forcefully against Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania after he called for Noem to be “immediately fired.” In a statement to The Daily Wire, the department emphasized that DHS enforces the laws passed by Congress and suggested lawmakers unhappy with those laws should focus on changing them.
Beyond the leadership fight, a larger funding battle is now threatening to shut down the federal government. Democrats have made clear that simply removing Noem would not satisfy them, instead pressing for sweeping immigration policy changes. Several Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have urged Senate Republicans to separate DHS funding from the broader spending package in hopes of limiting the impact of a shutdown.
That strategy is widely seen as unlikely to succeed. Any changes would require the legislation to return to the House of Representatives, which has already passed the spending bills and is out of session this week. Even if the Senate reaches an agreement, the House’s absence makes a shutdown on Friday increasingly likely.
The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti intensified internal debates over leadership and execution of Trump’s immigration agenda over the weekend. In response, the White House dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to coordinate with Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey on next steps.
Trump said he wants to “finish the job and finish it well” and believes it can be done in a de-escalated manner, noting that much of the hardest work is already complete. Still, he warned on Truth Social that Frey is “PLAYING WITH FIRE.” Frey responded on X by insisting that Minneapolis police are responsible for public safety, not enforcing federal immigration law.
Despite the political fallout, DHS’ Operation Metro Surge has resulted in thousands of arrests of individuals in the country illegally, including people facing additional criminal charges or convictions, underscoring the administration’s continued push to enforce immigration laws aggressively.
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