Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said on Sunday that he will not seek reelection in 2026 less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump threatened to support a primary challenge against the lawmaker following his vote against the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”

The announcement marks a turnaround as Tillis had indicated in December of last year that he was pursuing a third term in the upper chamber.

“In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,” Tillis said in a statement.

He added later, “As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly been excited about running for another term. That is true since the choice is between spending another six years navigating political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time with the love of my life Susan, our two children, three beautiful grandchildren, and the rest of our extended family back home. It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”

Tillis was one of two Republican senators who voted against a motion to proceed with debate on the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” on Saturday evening. He did so while raising concerns about the legislation’s proposed Medicaid cuts. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the other GOP lawmaker.

Ultimately the bill passed through the procedural hurdle, but not before Trump took aim at Tillis on his Truth Social account.

“Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against ‘Senator Thom’ Tillis,” Trump said. “I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Among other things he said, Trump declared, “I can’t believe that the Great People of North Carolina, a State that I love and won all three times, and a State that I just brought back with money, blood, sweat, and tears, from the recent tragic floods, when Sleepy Joe Biden let them DROWN, right up until the end of that Administration, without doing anything — I was given an A+ Rating for the job we did in bringing it back, and Tillis, despite being a Republican, was MISSING IN ACTION — North Carolina will not allow one of their Senators to GRANDSTAND in order to get some publicity for himself, for a possible, but very difficult Re-Election.”

With his statement, Tillis indicated that he plans to finish out the rest of his term before retiring from Congress.

“I still look forward to continuing to serve North Carolina over the next 18 months,” Tillis said. “I look forward to solely focusing on producing meaningful results without the distraction of raising money or campaigning for another election. I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability.”

Trump has also pushed for a primary challenge against Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who voted against the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” and criticized the recent U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.