President Donald Trump increased pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to pass the SAVE America Act, imploring him to be a “leader” after he expressed concerns that there is not enough support for the measure in his chamber.
“He’s got to be a leader. He’s the leader, he’s got to get them,” Trump told reporters of the need for Thune to whip the needed votes as the president departed the White House on Wednesday.
Trump has ramped up pressure on the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act, which has already cleared the House, before November’s midterm elections, after which Republicans could lose their congressional majorities.
Trump has even repeated his desire to repeal the Senate’s filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to end debate and provide senators with the opportunity to vote on legislation, to get the SAVE America Act passed — something Thune does not want to do as he tries to protect his majority in the chamber.
“It’s the most popular bill I’ve ever seen put before Congress, and it’s voter ID, and it’s voter, you have to be able to be a citizen to vote,” he said on Wednesday. “We’re also adding in no men playing in women’s sports, no transgender mutilationization of our children, and no mail-in ballots, fake mail-in ballots. We have none of that, except in the case of the military, etc.”
Trump made the comments en route to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Hebron, Kentucky, to promote his TrumpRX website and the economy, in addition to campaigning against Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). Massie has earned the president’s ire by voting against his One Big Beautiful Bill Act and his criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
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During his departure, Trump sidestepped a question about a preliminary investigation by his administration finding the U.S. struck a school in southern Iran on the first day of Operation Epic Fury.
“We took out just about all of their mine ships in one night,” he said. “Just about all of their navy is gone.”