Donald Trump is losing his temper. Again. This time, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is the target. The White House issued a blunt warning on Thursday: the president’s patience has evaporated. The fight is over the SAVE America Act, a controversial voting bill currently gathering dust while lawmakers pack their bags for the August recess.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not sugarcoat the situation. Trump wants action. Now. “His patience is running out,” Leavitt told reporters, echoing the president’s grievances from a Georgia rally. He wants the bill passed. Or at least, as much of it as they can squeeze through.
The legislation is a conservative lightning rod. It requires proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate or passport, to register for federal elections. It also purges noncitizens from voter rolls. Critics call it a voter suppression tactic. They argue it creates needless hurdles, locking out legitimate voters who lack easy access to documents.
Trump hates the Senate. He called it a graveyard where good ideas go to die. At his Georgia rally, he urged the crowd to harass Thune directly. “Everybody call John Thune,” Trump barked.
Thune is not backing down. He shot back, telling the White House to stop blaming allies. If Trump wants votes, Thune suggested, he should lobby the Democrats who are actually blocking the bill. Or maybe call the holdout Republicans himself.
The math is brutal. Thune lacks the 60 votes needed to break a Democratic filibuster. Nuke the filibuster? Forget it. More than half of the Senate Republicans refuse to touch that option. Thune claims he still talks to Trump on an “as-needed” basis. It sounds like a cold partnership.
Other Republicans are circling the wagons. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana laughed off any talk of replacing Thune. Nobody is plotting a coup. Kennedy defended Thune, pointing out that the leader actually supports the bill. The problem is simple arithmetic. “That’s why God made votes,” Kennedy said, noting they have already failed multiple times. He wants another shot via reconciliation. Good luck with that.
