President Donald Trump unleashed a fierce rebuke Thursday against five Republican senators, calling on voters to remove them from office after they sided with Democrats on a vote limiting presidential authority over military operations.
In an explosive post on his Truth Social platform, Trump singled out Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young, accusing them of undermining national security and the constitutional authority of the presidency.
“Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America,” Trump wrote. He went on to say the five senators “should never be elected to office again,” marking a rare moment in which the president openly called for the electoral defeat of multiple members of his own party.
Trump argued that the vote in question weakened America’s ability to defend itself and interfered with the president’s role as commander in chief. According to Trump, the measure “greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security” by restricting the president’s authority under Article II of the Constitution.
He also dismissed the legislation itself as unconstitutional, saying the War Powers Act violates the separation of powers. Trump claimed that presidents and Justice Departments before him have reached the same conclusion, and suggested that the senators who supported the measure were acting out of what he described as “stupidity.”
The president noted that another Senate vote on the issue is expected next week, signaling that the fight between the White House and Congress over war powers is far from over.
Trump’s comments followed a Senate vote in which the five Republican senators joined every Democrat to advance a resolution requiring the president to seek congressional approval before conducting further operations in Venezuela. The measure has been widely viewed as a warning shot aimed at the White House after U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The administration has maintained that the action was a law enforcement operation rather than an act of war.
Supporters of the president argue the resolution amounts to congressional micromanagement of national security, while critics contend it reasserts Congress’s constitutional role. Sen. Rand Paul defended his position in remarks to reporters Wednesday, framing the debate as a constitutional question rather than a moral one.
“The debate really isn’t about good or evil, bad or good,” Paul said. “There’s a lot of evil in the world. The question is about who has the power to take the country to war.” Paul argued that the Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare or initiate war, while leaving the execution of military operations to the president.
The clash highlights ongoing tensions within the Republican Party over foreign policy and executive power. Trump’s sharp attack underscores his view that strong, decisive presidential authority is essential in a dangerous world, and that any effort to limit that authority — even from within his own party — risks weakening the nation’s defenses.
As the Senate prepares for another vote, Trump’s warning to the five senators signals that the political fallout from the war powers fight is likely to continue well beyond this week.
