All caps. Lots of exclamation marks. And one very irritated president.
Donald Trump fired off a late-night Truth Social post Sunday after people started shortening the name of one of his key election proposals.
“It’s not the Save Act, it’s The Save America Act! A MUCH better, and more important, name!!!” the 79-year-old president wrote.
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The message came just before 10 p.m. But the frustration had clearly been building all day. Earlier on Sunday, Trump had already warned lawmakers that he might refuse to sign other legislation until the bill reaches his desk.
“I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed,” he wrote in another Truth Social post.
He also made it clear that he does not want a watered-down version.
“GO FOR THE GOLD: MUST SHOW VOTER I.D. & PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP. NO MAIL IN BALLOTS EXCEPT FOR MILITARY, ILLNESS, DISABILITY.”
The proposal, formally known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility America Act, would tighten rules for voting in federal elections. That is exactly why Trump is treating the legislation as a major priority. The bill has already cleared the House of Representatives, where Republicans strongly support the measure.
Now the battle has shifted to the Senate and Trump wants things to move quickly.
The president has been pressing Senate Majority Leader John Thune to consider a talking filibuster as a way to move the bill forward. The strategy would force Democrats to speak continuously on the Senate floor if they want to delay the vote.
The moment they stop talking, Republicans could move forward and pass the measure with a simple majority instead of the usual 60 votes.
So far, however, Thune has not signaled any shift in position.
The Senate leader has repeatedly defended the chamber’s long standing 60 vote rule for most legislation, even as pressure from Trump grows. Meanwhile Democrats remain firmly opposed to the proposal. They argue that non citizens voting in federal elections is extremely rare and say the bill could end up creating unnecessary barriers for voters.
Ever since the 2020 election, the president and many of his allies have continued calling for tighter voting rules.
Now he is raising the stakes
In an interview with NBC News last week, Trump said he would even consider shutting down the government if it meant getting the legislation passed.
“I would close government over it,” he said. “To me, that’s a core belief.”
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
