Trump is throwing a tantrum and blaming the rules of the Senate for the failure of the healthcare bill.
Trump tweeted:
The Senate must go to a 51 vote majority instead of current 60 votes. Even parts of full Repeal need 60. 8 Dems control Senate. Crazy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2017
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The problem with Trump’s tweet is that it was Republican Senators who sunk his bill. Even if the Senate went to 51 votes to pass all legislation, his bill would still fail because Republicans do not support it.
The issue isn’t with the filibuster. The problem is that people don’t support the healthcare bill. This outburst is typical Trump. When he loses, the game was unfair, or the rules need changing, or it was rigged. Failure is never Donald Trump’s fault. In the case of the Republican health care bill, Trump is blaming Democrats and the rules of the Senate. Mitch McConnell isn’t going to gut the filibuster so that Trump can get a “win,” because he still wouldn’t win if the filibuster were gone.
Trump doesn’t understand how his own government works. A stand alone Obamacare repeal bill will not have the votes to pass the Senate. It doesn’t matter if the threshold is 51 or 60. Trump is in full tantrum mode, but the person he will never be angry at for his constant failure is Donald Trump.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association