Since his unpopular health care and tax cut ideas are unlikely to pass the Senate, a tantruming President Trump is demanding that Senate Republicans kill the legislative filibuster.
Trump tweeted:
The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2017
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Trump tried to justify his fit by saying that Democrats would kill the filibuster too, but this is a statement that is easily proven false.
Liberals tried for years to get Harry Reid to kill the legislative filibuster, but he wouldn’t budge. It took an unprecedented level of Republican obstruction to get Reid to invoke a limited nuclear option on judicial nominees. Trump wants the legislative filibuster changed because a change is the only way that any of his legislation stands any chance of passage.
Donald Trump can’t govern, so he wants the rules to be changed so that he can, “win.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has demonstrated very little desire to kill the legislative filibuster. McConnell knows that what goes around comes around, and it could be just a few short years before Republicans are facing a Democratic majority Senate and White House again.
President Trump is losing, and he wants Republicans to rig the game so that he can win.
That’s not how government works, so Senate Republicans need to do the right thing, and continue to ignore 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
