Senate Majority Leader John Thune has opted not to speak at the Republican National Convention in Dallas this week, fueling speculation about tensions with President Donald Trump. Instead, Thune will attend a fundraiser for Ken Paxton, the embattled Republican candidate for Texas attorney general. This decision comes amid reports of growing friction between Thune and Trump, as well as Thune's ongoing efforts to secure a Republican majority in the Senate. Thune has been involved in several disputes with Trump, including disagreements over policy and campaign strategy. Trump initially ignored Thune's request to endorse Senator John Cornyn for re-election in Texas, instead supporting both Cornyn and his eventual runoff opponent, Ken Paxton. In the final weeks of the race, Trump ultimately backed Paxton over Cornyn. Trump has since criticized Thune for his support of the SAVE America Act, which would require voter identification, and has called on Thune to eliminate the legislative filibuster—a rule that allows minority lawmakers to block legislation. In an interview with Punchbowl News, Trump warned that if Thune did not move quickly to align with his agenda, he could be the "last Republican president." Trump also avoided explicitly endorsing Thune for another term as Senate Majority Leader, saying, "I don’t want to get into that." Thune, for his part, has downplayed reports of private frustrations with Trump, and he recently attended a "unity" luncheon with the president in June. However, the meeting was reportedly tense, with Senator Bill Cassidy clashing with Trump over the Iran war and the two sides failing to resolve disagreements over Trump's voter ID bill, which faces opposition from Democrats. Thune and Trump clashed again in July when the president demanded that Republicans cancel the August recess to push forward with votes on the SAVE America Act and the elimination of the filibuster. Thune responded with frustration, saying, "We could stay here 'til Christmas." Thune has also criticized White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt for comments on the voter ID bill, arguing that Republicans should focus on Democratic opposition rather than internal blame. Thune's decision to attend a fundraiser for Ken Paxton this week underscores his continued efforts to protect the Republican Senate majority. Thune had opposed Paxton during the primary on behalf of Cornyn, his close ally, and Thune-aligned political action committees and the Senate GOP’s campaign arm spent tens of millions of dollars to support Cornyn and damage Paxton's image. Paxton, the embattled Texas attorney general, is currently running closely with his Democratic opponent, James Talarico. Despite controversy over his attempted impeachment by the Republican state legislature and his ongoing divorce from his wife, a Republican state senator, Paxton won his primary. In his interview, Trump warned that challenges are working against GOP candidates this election cycle, and he blamed Thune and Republican leadership for voter anger. "The question is, will they vote? Because a lot of them are very angry at Republicans, to be honest with you," Trump said. "They’re angry at Republicans, but they’re not angry at me."