Trump slams – Sen. Bill Cassidy, once backed by President Donald Trump, lost Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary after voting to convict Trump in his second impeachment. Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming will now face each other in
When the Louisiana Republican Senate primary result came in, Sen.. Bill Cassidy wasn’t just knocked out of a third term.. He also became the first GOP senator to lose renomination in close to a decade. a collapse his party peers immediately tied to the way President Donald Trump dominates intraparty contests.
Cassidy had wanted his reelection campaign to focus on “the present and the future.” But Trump had other priorities after Cassidy voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment.. Five years after that vote. Cassidy lost his primary to a Trump-endorsed challenger. and also to a second challenger who embraced Trump: Rep.. Julia Letlow and Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming.. Letlow and Fleming are now headed to a runoff.
Cassidy used his concession speech to project a different message—without naming Trump—suggesting he could spend the last months of his term acting as more of a thorn in his party’s direction. or at least more openly critical.. “Let me just set the record straight: Our country is not about one individual.. It is about the welfare of all Americans and it is about our Constitution,” Cassidy said.. “And if someone doesn’t understand that and attempts to control others through using the levers of power. they’re about serving themselves.. They’re not about serving us.. And that person is not qualified to be a leader.”
He also framed democracy as something that doesn’t always match what candidates want. “I’ve been able to participate in democracy,” Cassidy said, “and when you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to.”
The turnaround sharpened the contrast between Cassidy’s attempt to soften the impeachment vote and Trump’s willingness to keep attacking it.. Cassidy had tried to paper over the impeachment break by pointing to a working relationship with Trump. including noting Trump signed four bills in which Cassidy played a big role.. The primary outcome. however. aligned with a litmus test that voters and Trump’s camp treated as lasting: siding against Trump on impeachment became a signal that shaped how GOP voters—and the president—measured loyalty.
On Saturday night, Trump posted on social media that Cassidy’s career was over.. “His disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of legend. and it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” The timing—minutes before Cassidy delivered remarks that also touched on being targeted online—underscored how quickly Trump moved from critique to conclusion.
Cassidy, for his part, referenced insults and the internet during his concession speech.. “Insults only bother me if they come from somebody of character and integrity,” Cassidy said.. “I find that people of character and integrity don’t spend their time attacking people on the internet.” He also made an apparent reference to Trump’s claims about the 2020 election. contrasting his view of democracy with leaders who argue the result was illegitimate.. “You don’t pout. you don’t whine. you don’t claim that the election was stolen … you don’t manufacture some excuse. ” Cassidy said.. “You thank the voters for the privilege of representing the state or the country for as long as you’ve had that privilege.. And that’s what I’m doing right now.”
While the focus remained on Louisiana, Trump also drew a connection beyond the state after the primary.. In a Truth Social post early Sunday morning, he said Kentucky Rep.. Thomas Massie “is an even bigger insult to our Nation than” Cassidy. and reiterated support for Massie’s primary challenger. Ed Gallrein.. The Louisiana outcome also intersected with Trump’s broader intraparty pressure campaign. as Trump looked ahead to a House primary Tuesday in Kentucky.
One reason Trump had not previously defeated a Republican senator in a primary. according to the way the politics played out before. was that earlier intraparty critics often chose not to run for renomination rather than face Trump’s wrath in a primary.. North Carolina Sen.. Thom Tillis was cited as a recent example.. Cassidy. however. made clear early on that he would not “go out without a fight. ” and he said he had no regrets after losing.
Even so, Cassidy’s defeat resonated beyond his immediate circle. Former Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who retired in 2024 amid tensions with Trump, wrote Sunday morning on X: “Cassidy’s departure is a loss for the country.”
With Cassidy out. attention turns to the runoff between Letlow and Fleming—and what it says about which version of Trumpism Louisiana Republicans want for the seat.. Letlow starts the overtime round as the favorite. but Fleming showed resilience in the primary by pitching himself as the true pro-Trump candidate.. Fleming is a former congressman who worked in the White House during Trump’s first term.
House Speaker Mike Johnson. who is from Louisiana and succeeded Fleming in his House seat. spoke favorably about both candidates Sunday morning. calling them “two close friends.” Johnson also said the president has “a huge influence in our state. ” and he added that he expected to see “how it shakes out.”
Trump’s messaging about the runoff stayed upbeat but uncomplicated: as voting began Saturday morning. he referred to both challengers as “two great people” in a social media post.. In her primary night speech. Letlow said she would not take the runoff for granted and promised to travel throughout the state again.. Trump spoke more flippantly about the runoff while maintaining he remained firmly behind Letlow.. “Julia Letlow is a fantastic person and. after taking care of some additional business. will make a brilliant Senator for the Great People of Louisiana. ” he wrote on social media.
Fleming, in a statement Sunday, said he would “embrace this challenge enthusiastically.” “The runoff starts today, and I could not be more energized,” he said.
Cassidy’s loss also fed questions about other senators who have irritated Trump.. The story points to Sen.. John Cornyn in neighboring Texas as a potential warning sign for any GOP lawmaker previously at odds with Trump.. But the Texas race differs from Louisiana in one key way: Trump stayed out of the contest between Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. which will be resolved in a May 26 runoff.
In Louisiana, Cassidy’s concession underscored the personal stakes of intraparty conflict and the pressure to signal loyalty.. He had suggested the country is “not about one individual. ” then contrasted himself with unnamed “leaders” he said were more concerned about themselves than the people they serve.. Minutes before Trump launched his latest broadside against him accusing him of disloyalty. Cassidy also spoke about being attacked on the internet. as Trump’s criticism intensified.
The pattern is clear across the timeline: Cassidy’s impeachment vote separated him from Trump. Trump later pressed the message of loyalty publicly. and Cassidy’s own concession leaned on constitutionalism and the idea that leaders should serve everyone—while Louisiana Republicans now move from that clash to a runoff between two Trump-aligned candidates.
Bill Cassidy Donald Trump Julia Letlow John Fleming Louisiana Senate runoff impeachment GOP primary Thom Tillis Thomas Massie Ed Gallrein Mike Johnson