President Donald Trump brushed off concerns on Wednesday, July 29th, 2026, that Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) might hold up the nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in the Senate. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, "I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem. I’ve heard he’s going through quite nicely."

Trump praised Blanche as "outstanding" and described the nomination process as "pretty routine because he’s good."

The president’s remarks followed Cornyn’s announcement that his scheduled meeting with Blanche was canceled and that he was "not prepared to vote yes" on advancing the nomination. Cornyn indicated that one Republican "no" vote could stall Blanche’s nomination in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Cornyn also told reporters that Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) requested to know by 4 p.m. whether the vote scheduled for Thursday morning could proceed. "So we still got a little time, and hopefully they now recognize the seriousness of this, and will be responding," Cornyn said.

Trump suggested that Cornyn’s hesitation might be linked to political tensions, saying, "Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse him," referencing his earlier support for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over Cornyn in the state’s Republican Senate primary.

Additionally, Trump was asked about Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)’s statement that he lacked the 50 votes necessary to advance a budget reconciliation bill through the Senate.

Sources