--- title: Donald Trump: Tim Kaine Says Senate Republicans Worried description: Sen. Tim Kaine said that "probably two-thirds" of Senate Republicans are "worried" about President Trump but that they won't say so publicly. canonical: https://time.com/4780908/tim-kaine-senate-republicans/ author: Elizabeth Dias article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-16T16:53:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:17.655Z article:section: Politics og:title: Tim Kaine: Two-Thirds of Senate Republicans Are 'Deeply Worried' og:description: "Probably two-thirds of the Republicans in the Senate are deeply worried about President Trump." og:url: https://time.com/4780908/tim-kaine-senate-republicans/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt36ff6058011dcb46/6988cd7aab6d7779c36ae1f1/gettyimages-681454338.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks on a morning television news show about President Trump's firing yesterday of FBI Director James Comey, on Capitol Hill May 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Tim Kaine: Two-Thirds of Senate Republicans Are 'Deeply Worried' twitter:description: "Probably two-thirds of the Republicans in the Senate are deeply worried about President Trump." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt36ff6058011dcb46/6988cd7aab6d7779c36ae1f1/gettyimages-681454338.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Tim Kaine: Two-Thirds of Senate Republicans Are 'Deeply Worried' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=683f98b8-6bed-4ec6-9074-1877d41c4b37&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: What to Know About the Allegations that President Trump Shared Classified Information with Russia [Watch (HLS stream): What to Know About the Allegations that President Trump Shared Classified Information with Russia](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/46NLo3Zk.m3u8) (1:39)  _Published 2017-05-16. President Donald Trump revealed highly classified information to senior Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting last week, putting a source of intelligence on the Islamic State at risk, The Washington Post reported._ by [Elizabeth Dias](https://time.com/author/elizabeth-dias/) ## Elizabeth Dias May 16, 2017 4:53 PM UTC  Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks on a morning television news show about President Trump's firing yesterday of FBI Director James Comey, on Capitol Hill May 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks on a morning television news show about President Trump's firing yesterday of FBI Director James Comey, on Capitol Hill May 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson—Getty Images by [Elizabeth Dias](https://time.com/author/elizabeth-dias/) ## Elizabeth Dias May 16, 2017 4:53 PM UTC Sen. Tim Kaine said that “probably two-thirds” of Senate Republicans are “deeply worried” about President Trump but that they won’t say so publicly. The Virginia Democrat, who was [Hillary Clinton’s running mate](http://time.com/4426037/dnc-tim-kaine-speech-transcript-video/) in 2016, said that the recent controversy over President Trump’s alleged [revelation of classified information](http://time.com/4780312/president-trump-russian-leak-tweet/) at an Oval Office meeting with the Russians showed the concern from his colleagues across the aisle. “I know from my dialogue with my colleagues that probably two-thirds of the Republicans in the Senate are deeply worried about President Trump,” he told TIME. “A handful have been willing to say so. Sen. (Bob) Corker last night was quick to characterize what is happening at the White House as a [downward spiral](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333507-gop-senator-white-house-in-downward-spiral) that is driven largely by their own lack of discipline. And other members have been blunt too. But many more than have said so have the same concerns.” Kaine also said that Trump’s controversies have slowed Senate work to a crawl. “I think he has lost all credibility here on the Hill with respect to his role as commander-in-chief,” he said. “His national security credibility has been lost, and I think the combined bombshells of the last week … have hijacked every other bit of legislative agenda.” He added that his conversation with a reporter was a sign of that slowdown. “I would normally not be talking to you at quarter of 11 on a Tuesday because we would be in the middle of committee hearings,” he said. ## Transcript [ SOUND ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] To our two countries, including threats to civil aviation, at no time, at no time, were intelligence sources or methods discussed. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4780908/tim-kaine-senate-republicans/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4780908/tim-kaine-senate-republicans/"},"headline":"Tim Kaine: Two-Thirds of Senate Republicans Are 'Deeply Worried'","datePublished":"2017-05-16T16:53:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:17.655Z","description":"Sen. 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