Former senator calls on fellow Republicans to talk with the president more

NPR | By Mallory Yu,

Juana Summers, Sarah Handel

Published May 20, 2026 at 4:41 PM EDT

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Lamar Alexander, former Republican senator from Tennessee and governor of that state, about how he thinks current senators should respond to President Trump.

Mallory Yu

See stories by Mallory Yu

Juana Summers

Juana Summers is a political correspondent for NPR covering race, justice and politics. She has covered politics since 2010 for publications including Politico, CNN and The Associated Press. She got her start in public radio at KBIA in Columbia, Mo., and also previously covered Congress for NPR.

See stories by Juana Summers

Sarah Handel

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