President Trump berated Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough in a Wednesday morning Truth Social rant and called for her replacement.“Over the years, she has been brutal to Republicans, but not so to the Dumocrats — So why has she not been replaced? There are many fair people who would be qualified for that vital job,” Trump said of MacDonough, who became the first woman in the role after being appointed by former Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2012. MacDonough recently garnered the ire of Trump when she blocked the inclusion of $1 billion of funding for Trump’s White House ballroom in Republicans’ budget reconciliation package, claiming it did not fall in line with the Byrd Rule. “The Dumocrats cheat, lie, and steal, especially when it comes to Votes in Elections, but stick together, whereas the Republicans allow the Elizabeth MacDonoughs of the World to stay in power, and brutalize us,” Trump said, before claiming the passage of the Save America Act and the end of the filibuster would be necessary to keep Republicans in politics.Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who has the power to fire and replace the parliamentarian, rejected the idea of replacing MacDonough while speaking with reporters on Wednesday. He also called the move “concerning.”“That’s, I guess, his opinion. But that would create even more vote issues here if we were to try and do something like that. So we’ll make sure that everybody has got security around here,” Thune said.Thune’s tone aligns with his approach to previous attacks from Trump allies against MacDonough. In 2025, he refused to overrule her because “that would not be a good option for getting a bill done.” Semafor reported that Trump called Thune on Monday, demanding that he fire MacDonough.“We don’t comment on private conversations that may or may not have happened,” a White House official told Semafor about the matter.As the Bipartisan Policy Center explains, the Senate regularly follows the parliamentarian’s advice, though the role is advisory. The parliamentarian is nonpartisan and assesses whether budget reconciliation efforts align with the Byrd Rule and other procedures.HuffPost reached out to the White House and Thune for comment, but did not immediately hear back.Close