Donald Trump’s patience just snapped. On Friday, he tore into his own party, warning Senate Republicans they’re “headed for disaster” unless they get rid of the filibuster once and for all.
“If Republicans kill the Filibuster, they sail to Victory for many years to come,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If they don’t, DISASTER waiting to happen!”
He then doubled down a few hours later. “Republicans, Terminate the Filibuster and bring back the American Dream,” he wrote. “If you don’t do it, the Dems will, and you’ll never see office again!” He finished with one more shout: “Just say NO (Nuclear Option!). TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!”
The outburst came as the government shutdown dragged into its fifth week, the longest in U.S. history. Trump’s frustration has boiled over as his agenda stalls in the Senate, blocked by the 60-vote rule that lets the minority party hold up almost everything.
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Inside the GOP, Trump’s demand landed like a thunderclap. Some cheered. Others cringed.
Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin jumped in fast, telling Newsmax that Trump was “100 percent correct.” Johnson said Democrats would get rid of the rule the moment they returned to power. “We might as well act before they do,” he said.
Johnson admitted he had supported the filibuster for years but said it was time to face reality. “It has stopped America from going down a socialist path,” he said, “but we need to act before Democrats do it for their own power.”
He argued that ending the rule would help Republicans secure the border, protect elections, and pass what he called “good pieces of legislation.”
But other Republicans were not on board.
Senator John Cornyn of Texas said he was open to “changes” but stopped short of calling for a total end to the rule. Cornyn blamed Democrats for what he called the “Schumer shutdown” and said the system allowed “a willful minority” to hold the country hostage.
Still, he hinted that something had to give. “With the Schumer shutdown, obviously, we can’t tolerate that,” Cornyn said. “That calls for some changes.”
Trump, however, was not interested in small changes. He kept pushing his message through interviews and posts. “The radical left in the Senate has shown zero interest in reopening the government,” he said. “They’ll take down the country if they have to.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, one of the few willing to answer directly, said the party did not have enough votes to end the filibuster. Thune said the rule was an important safeguard and warned that removing it could cause wild swings every time power changed hands.
Moderates like Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis said the same thing. They called the filibuster a “guardrail” that protects the Senate from constant political whiplash.
But conservatives fired back. They said those same guardrails had turned into barriers keeping Trump’s agenda locked up. “Democrats are holding every good piece of legislation hostage,” Johnson said. “Republicans have to acknowledge that reality.”
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
