President Trump said he may take back Todd Blanche's nomination for Attorney General and resubmit it in January, when he thinks it will be easier to get the Senate to approve him, according to a report by NPR published July 31, 2026. The comments, first reported by NBC News on July 30, amount to a public threat aimed at Republican senators who are blocking the nomination.

Blanche, a Florida resident formally nominated on June 8 per a White House presidential action, has been serving as acting Attorney General while his confirmation stalls. The Associated Press reported that Blanche was holding the acting role at the time Trump raised the possibility of pulling his nomination for the permanent post (Federal News Network).

Trump's frustration centers on two Republican senators whose support he needs to move the nomination out of committee. ABC News reported July 31 that Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is blocking Blanche's nomination, and that Trump faces resistance from a second GOP senator as well (ABC News). NPR reported July 30 that the Senate committee vote on Blanche's nomination was scrapped after key Republicans withheld their support (NPR). The fate of the nomination was described as in doubt in a separate NPR report the same day (NPR).

Trump has framed the potential delay as a tactical choice. According to NPR, he said he is willing to hold the nomination until January, when he expects an easier political calculation in the Senate. NBC News reported that Trump threatened to pull the nomination until after the GOP holdouts leave office (NBC News).

The nomination has moved through several stages since Trump first sent it to the Senate. NPR reported June 9 that Trump formally nominated Blanche to serve as Attorney General (NPR). On July 14, the White House released a statement titled "Law Enforcement Leaders Across America Support Todd Blanche for Attorney General," aimed at building momentum for the pick (White House). Blanche appeared before the Senate for his confirmation hearing on July 15, where NPR reported he remained composed but faced testy moments during questioning (NPR).

Trump has publicly praised Blanche on Truth Social, writing that Blanche "is a STAR" and "has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time" (Truth Social). The post was undated.

The NPR report on the potential withdrawal was authored by Ryan Lucas and Michel Martin and aired on the program Morning Edition (NPR).

Here is why this matters. In the Senate confirmation process, a small committee of senators votes on whether to send a nomination to the full Senate for a final yes-or-no vote. A single senator can place a hold to slow or block that process. Trump's threat to withdraw and resubmit the nomination in January is a notable escalation. By waiting, he would be betting on a changed Senate makeup after the next round of senators are sworn in, which could shift the committee's membership in his favor. But the trade-off is real: the Department of Justice would go without a Senate-confirmed leader for an extended period. Blanche would keep serving in an acting role, which limits his authority over personnel decisions and the agency's institutional standing.

The dynamic between Cornyn and the White House will be the variable to watch. If the second Republican withholding support is not Cornyn, the leadership's whip operation faces a two-front problem: peeling off one senator may not be enough. Whether the holdouts view the January prospect as leverage or a deadline will shape the coming weeks.