Donald Trump has a new obsession: The passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE Act, an “election security” bill that would put new restrictions on voting nationwide.
The bill has passed the House but remains stalled in the Senate. But Trump has pushed for the bill, even declaring that he won’t sign any more bills until that one reaches his desk. On Truth Social this week, Trump demanded the Senate try “using the Filibuster, or Talking Filibuster,” to get the bill through. However, the president appears to misunderstand how the filibuster works; it’s the filibuster, or the threat of it, that’s stopping the bill from passing.
“It supersedes everything else,” Trump said on Truth Social. “MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE. I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION – GO FOR THE GOLD: MUST SHOW VOTER I.D. & PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS EXCEPT FOR MILITARY – ILLNESS, DISABILITY, TRAVEL: NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS: NO TRANSGENDER MUTILIZATION FOR CHILDREN! DO NOT FAIL!!!”
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However, the Senate Majority Leader, John Thune (R-SD), told reporters this week that Trump’s plan to “use the filibuster” won’t work.
Senate Leader John Thune admits he is “concerned” Trump could delay his endorsement of Sen. Cornyn, insisting the SAVE America Act be passed.
He says the deal is not in “anybody’s best interest” because he can’t pass the bill, actively opposes it, criticizes its supporters, and… pic.twitter.com/nhNgb14lGB
— AF Post (@AFpost) March 10, 2026
“The votes aren’t there, one, to nuke the filibuster, and the votes aren’t there for a talking filibuster,” Thune said, per The Daily Beast. “It’s just a reality.” Thune also told reporters that he has explained to Trump that the votes aren’t there for this priority.
“I’m the one who has to be a clear-eyed realist about what we can achieve here,” Thune said. “We can’t find a piece of legislation in history that’s been passed that way.”
This recalls Trump’s first term, when he was frequently at odds with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who was at the time the Senate majority leader. McConnell, while an arch-conservative, was sometimes (although not always) reluctant to serve as a rubber stamp for Trump, and did not go along with the 2020 election lies. McConnell remains a senator but ceded the leadership to Thune last year.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
