President Donald Trump signaled he is not prepared to endorse Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) for another term, sharpening his criticism of congressional Republicans whom many conservative voters already view as insufficiently aggressive on core election integrity priorities.
In an interview with Punchbowl News, President Trump offered a notably ambivalent assessment of Thunes leadership, focusing on the Senate leaders failure thus far to advance the SAVE America Act, a bill designed to impose strict voter ID requirements and tighten rules on mail-in ballots, according to Mediaite. The legislation has become a litmus test for many on the right who believe that without robust safeguards, future elections will remain vulnerable to abuse and manipulation.
Pressed directly on whether he would back Thune for another term, President Trump demurred. I dont want to get into that necessarily, Trump said when asked about Thune and another term.
He stressed that his reservations are not personal, but rooted in policy frustrations and the lack of results from GOP leadership in the Senate. I get along with him. Its unfortunate that he doesnt have the votes, he said.
President Trump emphasized that he believes Thune is making an effort, but suggested effort alone is not enough when the stakes involve the integrity of the ballot box. Johns trying. Hes trying hard. I really believe that. But if he doesnt get there, it would be unfortunate.
He also renewed his call for a more hard-edged Republican strategy in the Senate by scrapping one of Washingtons most entrenched procedural tools. I believe strongly in terminating the filibuster, and by the way, getting SAVE America Act approved immediately, and about 400 other things in every hour of every day, he said.
Thune has already acknowledged he lacks the votes both to abolish the filibuster and to pass the SAVE America Act, underscoring the divide between populist conservatives and more cautious Senate Republicans. President Trump warned that Democrats will not hesitate to wield power far more aggressively if they retake Congress.
If they get in, theyre going to do it very quickly, he said. I would do it whether they did it or not. We would get in the next two and a half years; we would get things that nobody ever dreamt of. We would be in office for the next hundred years.
Looking ahead to the midterms, President Trump questioned whether Republican voters will turn out in force if he is not on the ballot, a concern that reflects the partys heavy reliance on his base. If I [am not running], will those people go out and vote? And thats the one thing I cant do. Im going to ask them to. The question is, will they vote? Because a lot of them are very angry at Republicans, to be honest with you. Theyre angry at Republicans, but theyre not angry at me, he said.
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