--- title: "Senator Tillis sent profane texts to Trump, book reveals" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/senator-tillis-sent-profane-texts-to-trump-book-reveals" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/senator-tillis-sent-profane-texts-to-trump-book-reveals" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/senator-tillis-sent-profane-texts-to-trump-book-reveals.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/senator-tillis-sent-profane-texts-to-trump-book-reveals" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-02T14:45:59.787Z" source_reported: "2026-10-02T14:00:03.000Z" updated: "2026-10-02T14:45:59.787Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 61 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-02T17:52:06.425Z" --- # Senator Tillis sent profane texts to Trump, book reveals *Outgoing Republican senator's messages to the president are expected to be published in his memoir.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. The central claim is attributed to Politico, and the reporting is corroborated by six other outlets. - Craft 61 of 100, higher is better. The reporting clearly separates fact from comment and includes specific details and dates. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. The headlines use strong language like 'angry,' 'profanity-laced,' and 'unloads' to describe the texts. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Senator Thom Tillis sent private text messages to President Donald Trump earlier this year, expressing anger and using profanity. - Tillis stated he would not accept Trump's "bullshit" and would tell him to "f*** yourself" if threatened with a primary challenge. - These messages are expected to appear in Tillis's forthcoming book, titled "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents." - Trump had publicly attacked Tillis on Truth Social on May 22, calling him a "nitpicker." Senator Thom Tillis sent private text messages to President Donald Trump earlier this year, in which he used profanity to express his dissatisfaction. In one message, Tillis stated he would not accept Trump's "bullshit." He also wrote that if Trump had threatened him with a primary challenge, he would have told him to "f*** yourself" and announced his retirement immediately. These messages are expected to be published in Tillis's forthcoming book, "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents." Trump had publicly attacked Tillis on Truth Social on May 22, calling him a "nitpicker." Tillis announced his retirement from the Senate on June 29, 2025. ## Disagreement on timing of threats The Independent reported that Tillis wrote, "As I have said before, you NEVER threatened me with a primary challenge." It also stated that Trump criticized Tillis publicly after the senator said he would oppose Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general unless Blanche condemned the January 6 rioters. The Independent reported that Trump told a reporter, "Senator Tillis is a loser. That’s why he didn’t run. He didn’t run because I wouldn’t support him. And he’s just an angry man because he’s not gonna be a senator any longer." The Independent also reported that Tillis announced his retirement on June 29, 2025, hours after Trump said he would seek primary challengers to Tillis following the senator’s vote against advancing the “Big, Beautiful Bill” in the Senate. ## What the coverage left out None of the left or centre-rated reports mentioned the specific date Senator Thom Tillis announced his retirement from the Senate, other than that it was in June 2025. No right-rated outlet ran this story. ## Who covered it Shares of the 10 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 80% (8) - Centre: 20% (2) - Right: 0% (0) 0 of 10 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-02T17:52:06.425Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 13 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-02T18:00:35.638Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports highlighted the profanity used by Senator Thom Tillis in his private text messages to President Donald Trump. Several outlets quoted Tillis's statements, including "f*** yourself" and "bullshit." The reports noted that these messages are expected to appear in Tillis's forthcoming book, "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents." The timing of the texts, occurring earlier this year, and Trump's public criticism of Tillis on Truth Social on May 22 were also mentioned. The Independent, in its full report, detailed Tillis's past criticisms of Trump administration policies and officials, including the Iran war and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and his comments about Donald Trump Jr. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from Political Wire focused on Senator Thom Tillis lashing out at President Donald Trump in private texts. It mentioned Tillis's refusal to take Trump's "bullshit" and his statement that he would have "immediately told you to fuck yourself" and announced his retirement early if Trump had directly threatened him with a primary challenge. The report noted these messages were obtained by Playbook and will be included in Tillis's forthcoming book. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 3 - high: 6 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [HuffPost](https://huffpost.com/entry/thom-tillis-trump-text-messages_n_6abfc05be4b0ecc03a213f90) — GOP Senator Publishes Expletive-Filled Texts To Trump: ‘I Would Have Immediately Told You To F**k Yourself’ - [dailymail.com](https://dailymail.com/news/us-politics/article-16178755/Republican-Senators-explosive-private-texts-Trump-revealed-blasts-president-profanity-laced-missive.html) — Republican Senator's explosive private texts to Trump revealed - [The Daily Boulder](https://dailyboulder.com/go-f-k-yourself-save-that-s-t-for-cowards-thom-tillis-unleashes-on-trump-in-explosive-texts) — 'Go F--k yourself,' 'Save that s--t for cowards': Thom Tillis unleashes on Trump in explosive texts - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/10/thom-tillis-reveals-f-bomb-texts-he-sent-to-trump) — Thom Tillis Reveals F-Bomb Texts He Sent To Trump - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-tillis-texts-republican-senator-b3060395.html) — Republican senator’s angry and profanity-laced texts to Trump revealed - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-tillis-texts-republican-senator-b3060395.html) — Republican senator’s angry and profanity-laced texts to Trump revealed - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/tillis-trump-texts-new-report) — Cursing GOP senator directly ripped into Trump in newly released texts: 'We are failing' - [Alternet](https://alternet.org/tillis-trump-2677983309) — 'Cowards and fools': Tillis unloads on Trump in profane private message - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/10/02/thom-tillis-lashed-out-at-trump-in-private-texts) — Thom Tillis Lashed Out at Trump in Private Texts - [Mediaite](https://mediaite.com/media/news/gop-senator-privately-told-off-trump-in-fiery-texts-obtained-by-politico-i-dont-take-that-bullsht-from-anyone) — GOP Senator Privately Told Off Trump in Fiery Texts Obtained by Politico: ‘I Don’t Take That Bullsh*t From Anyone!’ ## Questions **What did Senator Thom Tillis text President Donald Trump?** Senator Thom Tillis sent private text messages to President Donald Trump earlier this year. In these messages, Tillis stated he would not accept Trump's "bullshit" and indicated he would tell Trump to "f*** yourself" if threatened with a primary challenge. **When will these texts be made public?** The private text messages sent by Senator Thom Tillis to President Donald Trump are expected to appear in Tillis's forthcoming book, titled "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents." **Did President Trump publicly criticize Senator Tillis?** Yes, President Donald Trump publicly attacked Senator Thom Tillis on Truth Social on May 22. Trump referred to Tillis as a "nitpicker" and stated he was "always fighting against the Republican Party." --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/senator-tillis-sent-profane-texts-to-trump-book-reveals. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Senator Tillis sent profane texts to Trump, book reveals", https://mediabias.news/politics/senator-tillis-sent-profane-texts-to-trump-book-reveals