Trump Prepares the Tim Scott Whack-a-Mole

The president wants to avoid a repeat of his party’s 2018 midterm shellacking. But there’s already friction with N.R.S.C. chair Tim Scott, and plenty of beef with a crew of ’26 incumbents.

I’m told there is unresolved tension between the Trump team and the new head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee: Senator Tim Scott. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Leigh Ann Caldwell

March 2, 2025

In early February, shortly after his inauguration, two of Donald Trump’s top political aides were invited to Capitol Hill where they delivered an early warning sign to Republican chiefs of staff. Deputy chief of staff James Blair and White House political strategist Matt Brasseaux told Senate chiefs of staff that without Trump on the ballot, their best chance of winning reelection would be to fully embrace the president’s agenda, according to two people who attended.