Thune says ending filibuster 'not happening' despite Trump's demands

Source: ABC News

November 5, 2025, 2:24 PM


Returning from the White House Wednesday after President Donald Trump made yet another call for Senate Republicans to overturn the filibuster, Majority Leader John Thune reiterated his view that there are not the necessary votes among Senate Republicans to change the Senate rules.

Thune was asked Wednesday if he believed that Trump could sway some of his reluctant members to support the filibuster. "I don't doubt that he could have some sway with members," Thune said. "But I know where the math is on this issue in the Senate, and ... it's just not happening."

Thune has been an outspoken defender of the Senate's rule requiring 60 votes to pass most legislative matters. But he's not the only Republican who has publicly expressed skepticism about overturning the rule.

Republican Sen. Mike Rounds was among the group of Republicans who met with Trump for breakfast at the White House after a bruising election night, which saw Democratic victories in several races. After the meeting, Rounds said that the president made "a really good point" about Republicans changing the rule. But he wasn't sold. "I think there's a lot of us that really think the Senate was designed in the first place to find a long term, stable solution to problems, so we'll listen to what the president has to say," Rounds said.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/after-breakfast-trump-thune-reiterates-filibuster-happening-despite/story?id=127222696