Donald Trump has publicly criticised Senate Majority Leader John Thune after the Republican leader gave him an unwelcome assessment of the chances of passing the SAVE America Act, Trump's preferred voting reform legislation, ahead of the midterm elections. The row highlights growing tension within the Republican Party over how aggressively to pursue voting law changes before voters go to the polls, with Trump reportedly wanting the push to be far more forceful than Thune believes is achievable.

According to the report, Thune delivered a blunt, realistic account of the legislation's prospects in the Senate, prompting Trump to lash out publicly at him for not backing a more forceful ("deep-throated") approach. The dispute underscores friction between the White House and Senate Republican leadership over strategy and messaging on election-related legislation as the party prepares for the midterms.