\n Cassidy became the first GOP senator to lose renomination in close to a decade, a remarkable downfall that shows again how Trump dominates the party.\n <\/p>\n
\n Cassidy signaled in his concession speech, without mentioning Trump, that he could spend the final months of his term being more of a thorn in Trump\u2019s side \u2013 or at least more openly critical of his party.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cLet 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,\u201d Cassidy said. \u201cAnd if someone doesn\u2019t understand that and attempts to control others through using the levers of power, they\u2019re about serving themselves. They\u2019re not about serving us. And that person is not qualified to be a leader.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Here are our takeaways from primary night in Louisiana:\n <\/p>\n
\n Cassidy had sought to paper over his impeachment vote by touting a good working relationship with Trump, noting Trump signed four bills in which he had a big role. But Cassidy could not overcome the reality that siding against Trump on impeachment has become a lasting litmus test for GOP voters \u2013 and for the president.\n <\/p>\n
\n Letlow, Fleming and Trump brought up the issue regularly, and Trump was especially aggrieved that Cassidy voted to convict him after Trump backed him in his last reelection bid.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cHis disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of legend, and it\u2019s nice to see that his political career is OVER!\u201d Trump wrote Saturday night on social media.\n <\/p>\n
![\"119650_BillCassidyLoss_Vertical_Clean_Thumb.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/119650-billcassidyloss-vertical-clean-thumb.jpg\")
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Trump slams Sen. Bill Cassidy after remarkable primary result\n <\/p>\n
Rep. Julia Letlow topped Louisiana\u2019s Republican Senate primary, knocking Sen. Bill Cassidy out of the race for a third term.<\/p>\n
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Trump slams Sen. Bill Cassidy after remarkable primary result<\/p>\n
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\n In backing Letlow against Cassidy, Trump achieved something he has not done yet in his extraordinary political career: defeat a senator from his own party in a primary. It came as he looks to unseat one of the biggest GOP mavericks in Congress \u2014 Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie<\/a> \u2014 in a House primary Tuesday.\n <\/p>\n \n Trump was quick to draw a connection between Cassidy and Massie. In a Truth Social post early Sunday morning, Trump said Massie \u201cis an even bigger insult to our Nation than\u201d Cassidy and reiterated support for Massie\u2019s primary challenger, Ed Gallrein.\n <\/p>\n \n One of the reasons that Trump has not defeated a Republican senator until now is because his earlier intraparty critics chose not to seek reelection rather than face his wrath in a primary, with North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis being the most recent example<\/a>. Cassidy made clear early on that he would not go out without a fight.\n <\/p>\n \n In his concession speech, he said he had no regrets.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI\u2019ve been able to participate in democracy,\u201d he said, \u201cand when you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn\u2019t turn out the way you want it to.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Cassidy\u2019s defeat could be a warning sign to another Senate Republican who\u2019s previously irked Trump and has forged ahead with a challenging reelection bid: Sen. John Cornyn in neighboring Texas. But unlike in Louisiana, Trump has stayed out of the contest between Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which will be resolved in a May 26 runoff.\n <\/p>\n \n With Cassidy out of the picture, the runoff between Letlow and Fleming raises new questions about who the president\u2019s supporters in Louisiana prefer for the seat.\n <\/p>\n \n While Letlow starts the overtime round as the favorite, Fleming proved to be resilient in the primary as he pitched himself as the true pro-Trump candidate. He is a former congressman who worked in the White House during Trump\u2019s first term.\n <\/p>\n \n Notably, Trump referred to both challengers as \u201ctwo great people\u201d in a social media post as the voting in the primary began Saturday morning.\n <\/p>\n \n In her primary night speech, Letlow suggested she would not take the runoff for granted, promising to travel throughout the state again. Trump spoke of the runoff a bit more flippantly \u2013 while making clear he remained firmly behind Letlow.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cJulia Letlow is a fantastic person and, after taking care of some additional business, will make a brilliant Senator for the Great People of Louisiana,\u201d he wrote on social media.\n <\/p>\n \n Fleming said in a statement Sunday that he would \u201cembrace this challenge enthusiastically.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe runoff starts today, and I could not be more energized,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n \n Tillis has been more outspoken about the Trump administration since deciding against seeking reelection. Tillis recently held up Trump\u2019s nomination<\/a> of Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve to pressure the Justice Department to drop its investigation into then-Chair Jay Powell.\n <\/p>\n \n Cassidy said Saturday night that the country is \u201cnot about one individual\u201d and went on to contrast himself with unnamed \u201cleaders\u201d who are more concerned about themselves than the people they serve. And he brought up his experience of \u201cbeing attacked on the internet,\u201d speaking minutes before Trump launched his latest broadside against him accusing him of disloyalty.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cInsults only bother me if they come from somebody of character and integrity,\u201d Cassidy said. \u201cI find that people of character and integrity don\u2019t spend their time attacking people on the internet.\u201d\n <\/p>\n![\"Senator](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gettyimages-2276074624.jpg\")
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