In June 2025, a rumor started circulating online that U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, accepted $750,000 from the Democratic Party to vote against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The budget bill, a keystone piece of President Donald Trump's policy program, was the object of a voting marathon in the Senate starting on June 30, 2025.
As Snopes readers searched the site and emailed asking for information about the veracity of the claim, posts about Tillis accepting the money from Democrats multiplied on Facebook. For example, one user shared a side-by-side photograph of Trump and Tillis with what appeared to be a copied article crediting Newsmax, a right-wing news company (archived).
The post read (emphasis ours):
Washington, D.C. — June 28, 2025
In a move shaking Washington, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced he will vote against Donald Trump's highly anticipated "Big Beautiful Bill," citing opposition to proposed Medicare changes. Tillis claimed the bill's impact on seniors and healthcare access in North Carolina was "unacceptable," aligning himself with a small group of Republicans distancing from Trump's legislative push. But now, questions are swirling, not about the bill, but about Tillis himself.
A $750,000 wire transfer from the North Carolina Democratic Party was deposited into Tillis's personal bank account shortly before he publicly broke ranks with Trump. The explosive timing has sparked allegations that the Republican senator was effectively bought off to torpedo the bill. The transaction could point to a stunning breach of ethics and a potential criminal conspiracy involving cross-party corruption at the highest levels.
While it is true that Tillis said on June 28, 2025, that he would not vote for the budget bill, citing concern that Medicaid funding cuts would affect his constituents, there was no such article reporting the alleged story on the
Further, Tillis' office said that the rumor was not grounded in fact. "This is not remotely true," a spokesperson said via email.
The allegation seemed to originate with a post on a Facebook page known as
On June 29, Facebook user Jonathan Gregory shared a video on the page with the caption: "$750,000 Bombshell: Did Democrats Buy Off Senator Tillis to Sink Trump's Bill?" He also posted the video as a reel on his own profile. In his Facebook Intro, he describes himself as a comedian and links to his website, upon which he calls himself "The Creepy Comic." Therefore, we have rated this claim as satirical.
In fact, Tillis announced in a June 29 statement that he would not seek reelection when his term ends in 2027, a move that protects him from the political fallout of his decision not to support the bill. Indeed, in a post on Truth Social on June 28, Trump threatened to unseat the senator in a primary election following his refusal to vote for the budget bill (archived).
(Truth Social user Donald J. Trump)
Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against "Senator Thom" Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
After Tillis announced his retirement, Trump commended his decision in another Truth Social post (archived):
Great News! "Senator" Thom Tillis will not be seeking reelection.