President Donald Trump reversed course early Saturday, putting his controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” back on the table just one day after telling reporters at Camp David that the fund was “dead.” The dramatic reversal escalated an intraparty standoff with two Republican senators who have blocked his attorney general nominee, Todd Blanche, over concerns about the fund’s scope.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that if Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina refuse to approve Blanche, he would keep him on in an acting capacity and “push hard” to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill through Congress. The fund was originally created as part of a DOJ settlement that also granted Trump immunity from tax audits, a provision that drew fierce criticism from both sides of the aisle.
The settlement itself was voided by U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams on July 13, who ruled it was a “bad faith” act of self-dealing. Despite that ruling, Trump’s attempt to revive the concept legislatively has reignited the battle. Tillis fired back on social media, calling the fund a “payout pot for punks” and accusing Trump of flip-flopping.
Cornyn and Tillis, both outgoing senators, have refused to support Blanche unless he provides concrete assurance that the fund is permanently dead. The standoff has delayed a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation vote that was originally scheduled before the August recess. Trump’s Saturday post appeared designed to pressure both senators by framing their opposition as disloyalty.
The president claimed Cornyn and Tillis were motivated by personal grudges, noting that he did not endorse either senator in their respective races. Cornyn lost a leadership contest, while Tillis chose not to seek reelection. Trump wrote that if they would not approve one of the “most respected professionals in the Country,” he would keep Blanche as Acting AG and pursue the bill through legislative channels.
The escalation marks one of the sharpest intra-party confrontations of Trump’s second term. Republican leadership had hoped to resolve the impasse before senators left Washington for the five-week August recess, but the president’s post all but guarantees the fight will continue into September. Blanche, who served as deputy attorney general under the first Trump administration, has widespread support among rank-and-file Republicans but remains in limbo without Cornyn and Tillis.
Democrats have seized on the dispute as evidence that Trump’s legal priorities are driven by self-interest rather than policy. Critics note that the anti-weaponization fund was designed to compensate individuals Trump claims were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, but its structure would have also shielded Trump from ongoing legal scrutiny. The fund’s estimated cost to taxpayers was $1.8 billion.
The confrontation raises questions about Trump’s ability to advance his judicial and law enforcement agenda with a narrow Senate majority. With the August recess looming and a full legislative calendar awaiting in September, the standoff over Blanche and the anti-weaponization fund could become a defining test of intra-party power dynamics in the months ahead.
Sources: Politico, The Hill, CNN
Author: USA Desk
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