Trump insists Thune find votes to pass SAVE Act: 'He’s got to be a leader' |
Trump insists Thune find votes to pass SAVE Act: ‘He’s got to be a leader’
President Trump continued to lob pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to find votes to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act on Wednesday, saying Thune has “got to be a leader.”
“Well, he’s got to be a leader. If he’s a leader, he’s got to get them,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“It’s the most popular bill I’ve ever seen put before Congress, and it’s voter ID,” he continued. “You have to be able to be a citizen to vote. It’s called citizenship.”
Trump said the legislation would also block transgender participation in women’s sports and restrict gender-affirming medical care. Additionally, Trump said the legislation would end “fake mail-in ballots.”
“I think it’s the most popular bill I’ve ever put before Congress,” he said.
Thune told his Senate Republican colleagues on Tuesday that they do not have the votes to pass the legislation, which Trump has called his “No. 1 priority.”
Trump warned House Republicans in Florida on Monday that passing the SAVE Act would be critical to helping Republicans keep control of Congress in November.
“It will guarantee the midterms. If you don’t get it, big trouble,” he said.
Trump has also increased pressure on Senate GOP leaders to embrace the talking filibuster by not endorsing a candidate in the Senate Republican primary race between Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Thune and Senate Republican leadership have urged Trump to back Cornyn.
Thune acknowledged he was concerned about the disagreement with Trump over the filibuster.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s probably not a linkage that is in anybody’s best interest because voting on the SAVE America Act is something we can do, but passage is not guaranteed,” Thune said. “You have to make political decisions independent of what the final disposition of that might be on the floor.”
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