Trump Brushes Off Democratic Election Sweep, Demands Senators Eliminate the Filibuster and Blue-Slips So MAGA Agenda Can Proceed

President Trump is not saying much about Democrats’ sweeping wins in the 2025 elections, other than urging Senate Republicans to get rid of the filibuster and pass a bevy of conservative bills with a simple majority. The morning after Democrats won gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia and a democratic socialist won New York City’s mayoral race, results that were seen as a rebuke of Mr. Trump, the president deflected blame, citing “pollsters” who attributed Republicans’ shortcomings to the government shutdown and his absence from the ballot. Speaking to Republican senators at the White House on Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump said, “It’s time for Republicans to do what they have to do and that’s terminate the filibuster … and if you don’t terminate the filibuster, you’ll be in bad shape, we won’t pass legislation.”He slammed Democrats for refusing to vote to fund the government without an agreement to extend Obamacare subsidies.“If they won’t do an extension, they won’t do any bill — even a simple bill — we should do our own bills,” Mr. Trump said. “We should start tonight with, ‘The country’s open. Congratulations.’ Then we should pass voter I.D., we should pass no mail-in voting, we should pass all the things that we want to pass — make our elections secure and safe.”He downplayed concerns that getting rid of the filibuster would make it easier for Democrats to pass left-wing legislation when and if they return to power in Congress, saying that the Democrats will likely get rid of the 60-vote threshold the next time they are in the majority anyway.“They’re doing it anyway, so it wouldn’t matter,” Mr. Trump said.He also asserted that Republicans would lose future elections without getting rid of the filibuster, “because we’re not going to be passing any legislation” for the remainder of his term if the filibuster stays in place.Mr. Trump also called for the Senate to end the blue slip process on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The more than 100-year-old tradition gives senators of the states where judicial nominees are set to serve the chance to give their approval or state their objection to nominations, which can hold up the process. The Congressional Research Service notes that the tradition, though not formally codified in Senate rules, is supposed to give senators the chance to consult with presidents on judicial nominees for their states.However, Mr. Trump has expressed frustration that Democrats have held up his nominations by withholding their blue slips, which is treated as an objection to the nominees. “I have great U.S. attorneys who can’t get approved because of the blue slips. I think you should terminate blue slips, too,” he said. Mr. Trump has previously called for the Senate to get rid of the filibuster and blue slips; however, Republicans have so far brushed off his demands. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Monday that “the votes aren’t there” to eliminate the filibuster.

Trump Brushes Off Democratic Election Sweep, Demands Senators Eliminate the Filibuster and Blue-Slips So MAGA Agenda Can Proceed

Trump Brushes Off Democratic Election Sweep, Demands Senators Eliminate the Filibuster and Blue-Slips So MAGA Agenda Can Proceed

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