Republican Senator Thom Tillis threatened to withhold his vote for President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee after the president indicated he would seek to fulfill his nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”

In the latest escalation between Senate Republicans and the president, Tillis and Trump exchanged demands across social media Saturday morning, with the president threatening to revive his unpopular “slush fund” if Tillis refused to confirm Todd Blanche.

In response, Tillis wrote on X: “It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal.”

“Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President Trump clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against,” Tillis wrote.

Tillis, a moderate Republican who has repeatedly pushed back on Trump’s use of power, has been locked in a battle with Trump over the $1.776 billion fund that the Justice Department created to pay those that Trump believes were unfairly prosecuted by the government – including January 6 rioters.

The fund, announced in May, had been poorly received by the public as well as Democratic and Republican members of Congress.

Senate Republicans were so angry about the taxpayer-funded money pot that they refused to vote on a $72 billion immigration bill, which funded Trump’s signature anti-immigration agenda. Multiple lawmakers became outraged during a closed-door meeting with Blanche about the fund.

In June, the Justice Department moved to dissolve it, though some, such as Tillis and Republican Senator John Cornyn, are concerned it may not be permanent.

Tillis and Cornyn are holding out on confirming Blanche until the White House commits, in writing, to permanently axing the multi-billion-dollar fund.

Tensions bubbled over Friday after Trump said he wanted his “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to move forward. Later, the Justice Department lawyers filed an intent to appeal a recent ruling that cast doubt over the legitimacy of the fund.

On social media, Tillis cemented his position that he would only confirm Blanche as attorney general if they ended the fund.

In response, the president accused Tillis and Cornyn of revolting because he wouldn’t endorse the lawmakers in their respective races.

“If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn’t Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED.” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday morning.

Cornyn told reporters Friday that his personal feelings toward Trump “had nothing to do” with his desire to axe the “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”