GOP Sen.-elect Curtis says he's not afraid to disagree with Trump

As a House member, John Curtis, R-Utah, exhibited a willingness to buck his own party.

Now the senator-elect who is set to take the seat being vacated by retiring Mitt Romney, said he’s not afraid to disagree with President-elect Donald Trump if he needs to.

In an exclusive interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Curtis told co-anchor Jonathan Karl that he wants Trump to be “wildly successful” and said he supports his desire to address inflation and the economy. But he also made clear there will be times he disagrees with Trump’s approach.

“I think it's very important to me and my constituents that -- that at those moments [of disagreement], that I feel comfortable speaking up,” Curtis said. “I do have my own mind, and I'm not a rubber stamp. My stamp is the stamp of the state of Utah.’’

Curtis and Karl spoke Thursday as Republicans were scrambling to appease last-minute demands from Trump to deal with the debt limit as Congress worked to pass a funding bill to avert a government shutdown.

The senator-elect singled out this topic as an area where he and Trump do not see eye to eye.

“A lot of people ask me when I say I'm sometimes going to have my differences with the president ... And I'll just tell you from my previous service with him at the same time, it's spending,” Curtis said. “We have to do far more to rein in our spending. And that is a big deal in Utah. That's what my constituents expect me to do.”

As the Senate prepares to vote on Trump’s nominees, Curtis signaled he’s taking a deliberative approach to the process.

“I think people forget the advise part of advise and consent,” Curtis said. “I can't advise the president if I haven't thoroughly talked to these people, if I haven't investigated everything about them, if I haven't learned their strengths and their weaknesses.”

Curtis has met with some of Trump’s more controversial picks, including Pete Hegseth, his selection for the Department of Defense, and Kash Patel, his choice to lead the FBI. He wouldn’t reveal how he plans to vote on their nominations, but said he’s looking closely at the process.

“I know as a politician everything that's in the paper I shouldn't take it firsthand,” Curtis said, referring to news reports around Hegseth. “And I want to learn myself who he is and what kind of job he will do.”

Some Republican senators have faced a pressure campaign from Trump allies and supporters on social media to try to force them to vote for Trump’s nominees.

Curtis said that he is not afraid of taking flack for carrying out his responsibilities as a senator.

“Anybody who wants to give me heat for doing my job, bring it on,” Curtis said. “This is my job. It's my constitutional responsibility.”

At a time when labels such as "MAGA Republican" or “McCain Republican” or “Romney Republican” abound, the senator-elect says the best way to describe him is “normal.”

“I like that label,” Curtis said. “The problem is with labels, it's kind of a shortcut to stereotype somebody, right? … To try to say somebody is a moderate or something just doesn't fit. And I really like to align myself with core Utah values. And the best way to describe those are our pioneer values.”

The senator-elect said he has yet to speak to Trump, who endorsed one of his primary opponents, since he won in November. Asked what he would say to him, Curtis said he wants the president-elect to be successful, but not without pushback when necessary.

“Mr. President, from time to time, I'm going to disagree with you. And it will be respectful,” Curtis said he would tell Trump. “And I think when I disagree with you, it will be helpful. And I hope you'll listen to me.”