Thom Tillis is expected to vote to confirm Todd Blanche after talks with the White House. The move would put a Senate Republican on the side of a Trump nominee as the confirmation fight reaches its next step.
Thom Tillis and the White House
Cornyn and Tillis were in discussions with the White House to get Blanche across the finish line. That makes the likely vote more than a personal choice: it is part of the counting that decides whether the nominee clears the Senate.
The piece describes Tillis as caving when it comes to another Trump nominee, yet it also says his vote on Blanche is almost certain. The contradiction sits inside the same story: he is cast as a tough critic in tone, but he is moving toward support when the vote is on the line.
StayPuff marshmallows
One detail in the account captures that gap in plain terms. Tillis is said not to have asked Blanche anything harder than whether he likes StayPuff marshmallows, a soft question that stands in sharp contrast to the hard-edged image attached to him in the piece.
The article also ties the episode to other criticism aimed at Republicans and Trump, including references to Pete Hegseth, a multi-million dollar jury verdict entered against Trump for sexual abuse and defamation of E. Jean Carroll, and at least 3 U.S. service members killed over the weekend in Iraq and Jordan. Those references are part of the surrounding argument in the opinion piece, not the vote itself.
Republicans and the White House
For Blanche, the practical effect is immediate: a likely yes from Tillis can help move the nomination closer to passage, especially when discussions between Senate Republicans and the White House are already underway. For readers tracking the fight, the question is no longer whether Tillis is in the room, but what exact terms led him there.
