Thune and Trump share friendly greeting after critical clashes

Published July 4, 2026 9:19am ET



President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) exchanged friendly greetings as the president exited Air Force One to deliver remarks at Mount Rushmore on the eve of Independence Day.

The president and Thune have shared a tense relationship in recent weeks over the Senate’s failure to pass the SAVE America Act. Pressure mounted when Trump axed a signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing bill in late June in an attempt to pressure Senate Republicans into passing the SAVE Act.

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