Thom Tillis: Standing up for what's wrong

In the vote for Secretary of Defense, Tillis could have shown courage, but he would have had to find it first.

Thom Tillis is such a tease. All eyes were on him as the vote for a new Secretary of Defense came down to the wire. Pete Hegseth, the Fox News drunk that Trump nominated for Secretary of Defense, had credible accusations of domestic violence and drinking on the job. Republican Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitch McConnell, the former GOP Majority Leader, voted no. In the end, Tillis fell in line, voting to confirm a man with no managerial experience and an admitted drinking problem to oversee our armed services. I’m sure his tenure will work out well.

A lot of Republicans had problems with Hegseth’s nomination but only three of them had the spine to stand up to Trump. Tillis pulled a Tillis, hinting that he might stand up for his principles and then proving, once again, that he has none. J.D. Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote.

After the vote, a reporter tweeted on Elon Musk’s propaganda platform, “Overheard at the Capitol for the Hegseth vote: “So many of these guys want to be John McCain but ultimately they’re just Thom Tillis.’”

Tillis has a long history of posturing as if he’s going to take a tough stance against Donald Trump, but he always folds like a cheap suit. I’m not sure why political reporters still pay attention to him, but the North Carolina Senator keeps some people in suspense. Not those of us who have followed his career, but people who are just tuning into his “I’m a very serious person” routine.

Expect to see a lot of Tillis drama this year. He’s up for re-election in 2026 and his seat will be a top target for Democrats. He’ll have to keep Trump happy while trying to convince lower information voters that he’s some sort of courageous leader who thinks for himself. In reality, he’s the most malleable man in Washington, regularly chucking his principles and values to stay in the good graces of the conman in the White House.

Tillis is about to vote for a bunch of unqualified cabinet picks. He knows better, but his career is more important to him than the country and state he serves. I’m sure he will have grave concerns about Tulsi Gabbard and RJK, Jr., which will make some reporters cover him as if he might do what’s right, but he will vote for people he wouldn’t hire as junior aides—unless Trump told him to.

It's going to be a long couple of years for Tillis, standing up for what’s right before bending over for Donald Trump.