Tillis says Miller, Hegseth, RFK Jr. should be fired

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) again called for the firing of top Trump administration officials as the retiring Republican continues to clash with his own party.

Appearing on sports commentator Stephen A. Smith’s SiriusXM show Wednesday, Tillis said he thinks President Trump should let go of three senior officials who he said “present no cost-benefit”: White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“They’re costing us more than they are benefiting us,” Tillis said.

“None of this is personal to me, Stephen,” the North Carolina senator added. “I’ve fired my best friend, and I would fire them if I were the president.”

Tillis has spoken out against administration officials throughout this year, frequently accusing them of giving the president bad advice.

“So there are aspects about this president that I admire and will always admire, but I do not admire bad advice, and I hate bad execution,” Tillis said in March . “And when I see it, and I think it’s undermining the president of the United States’ agenda, then I’m going to call them out.”

In the interview with Smith, Tillis said he does not blame the president for Republicans’ ongoing political turmoil, but those who surround him.

He compared Trump to the CEO of a company, arguing if the president fired “the worst performing” administration officials, things would look up for him in the latter half of his second term.

“He just needs to get some of these people out of there, and we will see a different trajectory —particularly if you have people that will invest in a relationship with Congress for people like me who want to help him,” Tillis said.

The GOP is bracing for possible big losses with midterm elections less than two weeks away. Recent polls have shown Trump with record-low approval , and Democrats hold narrow leads in enough races to win back Senate control, according to nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ, a partner of The Hill.

As the GOP prepares for a political hit, Tillis said his calls to fire some top officials has less to do with a defense of Trump and more to do with defending the Republican Party.

“I want him to have a good legacy,” Tillis said. “It’s not about Donald J. Trump, I don’t know the guy well enough to go to the mat for the man. I’m going to the mat for the office and the fact that he’s a Republican.”