Trump jawboned Thune to fire Senate's top rules referee over ballroom ruling: report

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Raw Story

May 18, 2026 9:01PM ET


President Donald Trump privately demanded that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) fire Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough.

According to NOTUS, "President Donald Trump pressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune to fire the Senate parliamentarian after she ruled Republicans could not include funding for the president’s ballroom in a budget bill, two sources familiar with the request told NOTUS." However, Thune is adamantly refusing to get rid of MacDonough, who was first appointed as the Senate rules referee in 2012 and has often frustrated majorities in both parties.

The bill, which is primarily intended to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the entirety of Trump's remaining term, first included $1 billion in funding for strictly "security"-related features of the ballroom, which Trump for months has maintained would be financed solely through donor contributions.

Senate Republicans, who have previously expressed discomfort with the ballroom provision, are now moving to rewrite and scale it back in a way they hope will pass muster with the parliamentarian.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-ballroom-2676911107/

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Link to NOTUS article - Trump Is Pressuring John Thune to Fire the Parliamentarian Over Ballroom Funding

[rampartd]

1. i figured the parliamentarian would be gone by now

or the position renamed to something more patriotic

[riversedge]

2. Lets hope that Thune stands his ground on this one.

[dave99]

9. Thune was voted into his position. Trump, other than kill him, can not do anything.

So Thune should up his personal bodyguard number

[the nelm]

3. Don't any of these dweebs know how to end a phone call? Or, better yet, refuse the call first.

I mean, seriously, having to repeatedly listen and take Trump's bs must be exhausting and downright annoying...

[Raven123]

4. Thune has someone to blame.

The ballroom is unpopular. Thune can just pretend he is not playing politics by protecting the Parlamentarian.

[MarcoZandrini]

6. He'll...

…turn that part of White House grounds into a chip and putt.

[ShazzieB]

10. Even if one questions his motives, it's refreshing to see a Republican stand up to Trump on anything.

SOP for most of them is to roll over for Trump on absolutely everything.

[MadameButterfly]

5. yeah, why are Republicans listening to a parlementarian?

They ignore any law they please but are bound by this? Habeus Corpus is optional, they just allowed a war in Iran and a 1.8 bilion dollar bribe for Trump's brownshirts, but they can't stop the parlementarian? I don't understand.

[melm00se]

7. The reason for this

(and, to be honest, the filibuster) is that Republicans know that they will need this role in the future and if Republicans remove this person (or role), it will come to quite firmly bite them on the ass.

It is a self serving action.

[MadameButterfly]

11. That is good logic in a democracy

but aren't they going for an autocracy? Or enough changes to voting laws, gerrymandering, etc. that Republicans don't lose another election for 50 years?

And, in the case that Democracy proceeds and Dems are allowed to seat a majority in the Senate, won't Democrats obey the laws anyway that Republicans have broken?

[Historic NY]

8. Because then if they lose the whole Senate is up for whatever Choas.

[joanbarnes]

12. I knew it!