Trump’s ‘Patience Is Running Out’ With Thune on Failure To Pass SAVE America Act

President Trump’s “patience is running out” with the Senate majority leader, John Thune, according to the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. Mr. Trump has been amping up a public pressure campaign against the majority leader as Mr. Thune and other senators prepare to take a six-week summer recess. Mr. Trump is demanding that Mr. Thune put on the floor the SAVE America Act — a bill to require photo ID and proof of citizenship before voting. Mr. Trump also wants to add a provision that severely restricts mail voting, though that has not yet been included in the draft of the legislation. Mr. Thune and Republican senators have made it clear that there is no way to pass the bill due to the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for ending debate on a piece of legislation. The chamber’s 47 Democrats are uniformly opposed to the bill. Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Ms. Leavitt confirmed that the president is growing increasingly frustrated with the majority leader. “His patience is running out,” Ms. Leavitt told reporters. “He wants to see as much of the SAVE America [Act] as possible by the August recess.” The Senate is currently scheduled to leave town in two weeks. “Voter ID is common sense. [Voters] want proof of citizenship in our elections, and the president feels very strongly about that,” she added. Mr. Thune was clearly taken aback by the comments, telling reporters very sternly that if White House officials want the SAVE America Act passed, then they should make their way to his end of Pennsylvania Avenue and find 60 votes themselves — or at least the 50 votes needed to change the Senate’s rules and end the filibuster. “Well, maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes, right?” a very frustrated Mr. Thune told reporters. “Instead of, you know, pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats, and if there are Republicans that they think are gettable, let’s get them to yes.”For months, the majority leader has said there are not the 50 votes needed to terminate the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act by a simple majority. “For better or worse, I’m the one that has to be the clear-eyed realist about what we can achieve here,” Mr. Thune said in March. “I can guarantee the debate. I can guarantee a vote. I just can’t guarantee an outcome.”Mr. Trump has been laying into Senate Republicans for the better part of a year on this issue, though his public pressure campaign has been ramping up in recent weeks. Last month, he made his way to Capitol Hill to try to hector senators into changing their chamber’s rules in order to get his bill passed. Instead, he ended up in a screaming match with Senator Bill Cassidy — a Republican who lost a primary challenge to a Trump-backed candidate — about the war in Iran. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump made his most aggressive comments yet, telling voters to begin calling Mr. Thune’s office. Until now, Mr. Trump had said only that it is up to Mr. Thune to be a “leader” and find the 50 votes necessary. That statement always came with the caveat that Mr. Trump liked and respected the Senate majority leader. “They should terminate the filibuster. Everybody, call John Thune,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Georgia on Wednesday. “He’s the leader of the Republican [conference] … Tell him to get this stuff approved.”

Trump’s ‘Patience Is Running Out’ With Thune on Failure To Pass SAVE America Act

Trump’s ‘Patience Is Running Out’ With Thune on Failure To Pass SAVE America Act

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