Trump Secretly Fumes at Senate Leader Over the SAVE Act

President Donald Trump sees Senate Majority Leader John Thune as one of his “biggest headaches,” despite insisting that their relationship is “fine” publicly, according to reporting from The Atlantic.

The president’s displeasure with Thune has been brewing for some time, as the senator stands squarely in the way of Trump’s voting-rights-suppressing SAVE America Act. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last week that Trump’s patience with Thune was “running out,” and Trump himself told a Georgia rally crowd to call Thune directly regarding the SAVE America Act that same day. And on Monday, Trump strangely demanded that Thune pass a “full and deep throated” SAVE America Act.

“John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The Dumocrats will do it on day one, and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership. Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!”

Thune has yet to flinch, making Trump’s private comments even more believable.

“If somebody can show me how we get an outcome, how we get a result, how we get an answer to this, I’m all for it.… But if we are going to be sitting here in endless quorum calls, I don’t know if that’s in anybody’s best interest,” Thune said to reporters on Monday. “We could stay here until Christmas, Democrats aren’t voting for this. I’m just telling you.… And Republicans are not getting rid of the legislative filibuster.”

It’s unclear how long Thune’s resistance can last. Trump is absolutely desperate to get the SAVE America Act through, and he’ll be even more so as he approaches the end of his second (and hopefully final) term. Thune’s moderate Senate allies such as Thom Tillis and John Cornyn are outgoing, while the majority of the party willingly capitulates to whatever Trump demands, and will likely continue doing so. ...