Sen. Thom Tillis says his vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the “biggest regret of my career,” and he is laying that confession out in his new book, “How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents.” The North Carolina Republican pushes back on President Donald Trump’s early Cabinet picks, warns of a slippery slope toward authoritarianism, and predicts a “bloodbath” for Republicans in November’s midterm elections.
Tuesday marks the release of the book, which includes Tillis’s account of the strain he endured while pushing through Hegseth’s confirmation vote late into the evening on Jan. 24, 2025. He describes speaking with the White House, people who had previously worked with Hegseth, and Hegseth himself prior to casting the decisive vote that brought the count to 50-50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie.
Hegseth’s Confirmation Vote
Tillis says he is certain there are “others like me” — Republicans who went along with the early demands of the Trump team no matter how absurd, because they believed refusing would spell the end of their political career. He puts the number of GOP colleagues who have expressed doubts privately but only say pleasant things publicly when reporters show up at at least 30.
On Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary in the early days of Trump’s second term, Tillis says in the book that he “should’ve stopped” the vote. On that vote, he writes, “I guess it’s easy to say now, but I’m the one who has to live with that vote and all the havoc Kennedy’s tenure has caused the country as a result.”
Tillis admits he did not wish to be the deciding factor on either vote, adding that he had no intention of letting his colleagues “outsource their courage to me while they pretended to go along with the questionable nomination President Trump had put forward.”. He also takes aim at several of Trump’s other initial Cabinet picks, singling out former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The Kennedy Regret
A long list of regrets fills the book, with each tied to a distinct choice. Among them, Tillis’s vote for Hegseth stands as the greatest, while the regret over Kennedy runs especially deep. Tillis describes both votes as errors made under pressure, not as times of bravery.
| Vote | Result | Tillis’s Take |
|---|---|---|
| Pete Hegseth (Defense) | Confirmed 50-50, tie broken by JD Vance | “Biggest regret of my career” |
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Health and Human Services) | Confirmed | “I’m the one who has to live with that vote” |
Tillis takes issue with Trump’s tariffs, the harsh immigration raids that he claims were a move to “intentionally sow disorder,” and the Iran war, which he at first backed. He argues the conflict can only conclude through a coalition of willing nations and only after Pete Hegseth is removed from office.
The Authoritarian Warning
Tillis warns of a slippery slope toward authoritarianism and urges colleagues to “wake up” and push back on Trump more often, for their own political good. He criticizes Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill of tax and spending cuts, saying he couldn’t support its cuts to Medicaid.
Trump attacked Tillis on social media after the senator said he couldn’t support the bill’s cuts to Medicaid. Tillis texted Trump asking him to look for his replacement in the Senate; Trump replied “I am! DJT.”
Trump attacked Tillis again in May 2026, posting a message on social media calling him a “QUITTER!”. Tillis closed the book by sharing the text he sent back to Trump, laced with profanity.
The Political Calculus
The criticism comes from Tillis, and it is pointed at those who surround Trump, not at Trump personally. His targets are “idiots”, and he directs his colleagues to push back “for their own political good.”.
The title itself, “How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents,” points to a politician who has grown accustomed to being despised. Tillis writes about the personal cost of such choices, admitting that he is the one bearing the weight of the Kennedy vote and all the chaos it has brought upon the nation.
The Regrets Running Together
Throughout the book, Tillis’s regret shows up repeatedly, woven into his votes, his criticisms, and his warnings. Of these, the Hegseth vote looms largest, while the Kennedy vote comes with its own heavy burden, with Tillis writing that he is the one who has to live with that vote and all the havoc it has caused the country as a result.
The Bloodbath Prediction
The Republican senator Tillis is forecasting a “bloodbath” for his party in November’s midterm elections. He has warned about a path leading toward authoritarian rule and is calling on his fellow senators to “wake up”, urging them to oppose Trump more frequently, for their own political advantage.
He criticizes Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill of tax and spending cuts, saying he couldn’t support its cuts to Medicaid. Trump attacked Tillis on social media after the senator said he couldn’t support the bill’s cuts to Medicaid.
Trump received a text from Tillis asking him to find his replacement in the Senate, and he responded “I am! DJT.”. Later, in May 2026, Trump went after Tillis publicly, posting on social media that Tillis was a “QUITTER!”. Tillis concluded the book by including the profanity-laced text he sent back to Trump at the time.
The volume is brimming with harsh language and denunciations. Tillis takes aim at Trump’s tariffs, the harsh immigration raids that Tillis says were an effort to “intentionally sow disorder,” and the Iran war, which he initially backed. He says the war can only conclude through a coalition of willing nations, and if Trump gets “Pete Hegseth the hell out of the way.”
“I care if you fail and right now we are failing”
Tillis’s surprise announcement in June 2025 that he wouldn’t be running for reelection came as he escalated criticism against Trump and his “Big Beautiful Bill” of tax and spending cuts. Trump attacked Tillis on social media after the senator said he couldn’t support the bill’s cuts to Medicaid. Tillis says he thought to himself, “I’m done.”
“Everyone reaches a breaking point,” he writes. He texted the president asking him to look for his replacement in the Senate, to which Trump replied “I am! DJT.” In May 2026, Trump again attacked Tillis, calling him a “QUITTER!” on social media, among other insults.
Tillis ends the book with a profanity-laced text he sent to Trump in response. “I care if you fail and right now we are failing,” Tillis wrote to Trump.
Source material: “Sen. Tillis says his vote for Hegseth was 'biggest regret of my career' in new book,” PBS.
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