I don’t know that the housing bill in question would have done any good, but doing nothing is not a good look for the Party
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/06/24/after-clashes-senate-republicans-prepare-talk-it-out-with-trump/
{{ Trump joined Senate Republicans for a closed-door lunch in the Capitol on Wednesday, his first meeting with the entire conference in months. The meeting came after Trump repeatedly clashed with Republicans in recent days, including his decision hours before the lunch started not to sign a bipartisan housing bill Congress passed with overwhelming support until lawmakers pass voting legislation that Republicans repeatedly have said does not have enough votes. }}
You would think that at some point, a self-preservation instinct would kick in and GOP lawmakers would bring the President to heel.
Corporate DEMs provide a vivid example on what happens to election prospects if you leave an addled leader in place.
intercst
3 Likes
The macro-economic significance of the perils of the Perils of Pauline condition of our politics and governance is, and will for some time to come beincreasingly incoherent and costly.
1 Like
The marco economic implications here I believe are small, but overall positive for the the goal of bringing down housing prices. The bill had a number of different measures, none of which were earthshaking, but contained a decent amount of common sense. Compared to most stuff Congress passes anyway.
I don’t understand the strategy here. The bill passed the Senate 85–5 and the House 358–32, so veto proof majorities and it becomes law even if he doesn’t sign it. This doesn’t seem like a hill worth dying on.
10 Likes
Do you really think he can count? Or that he cares? He sees a stick and wields it around as though it will do something. We saw it again and again with his threats to Bomb The **** out of Iran, to which the Mullahs replied “Yawn.”
Guy can’t pick a target, he just shoots. Fire, ready, aim.
6 Likes
He didn’t say he would veto it. He just said he wouldn’t sign it. If that’s it, it becomes law anyway, no override needed.
He’s doing this to make a point. He’s pis$ed that the SAVE Act isn’t getting through Congress, so he’s punishing Congress by not giving them the celebratory moment they want for this bipartisan legislation. I personally think it’s self-defeating, but he’s just engaging in dominance rituals to try to show these lawmakers who really runs the country.
10 Likes
We have an 80 year-old toddler running the show. I remember telling my kids, “Don’t glue stuff to the walls!”
3 Likes
Not that expect any logic from him, but how does that accomplish this? If he doesn’t sign, it becomes law anyway. If he vetoes, the veto is overridden. Doesn’t sound like -in this instance- he’s running the country no matter how you slice it.
1 Like
It’s possible this is self-preservation, if the rumors of the files is true. (And it very, very likely is). Also, there is every indication the mid-terms are going to be highly compromised anyway. This is a party acting like elections aren’t going to matter. “Vote for me, and you’ll never have to vote again”.
3 Likes
He denies them the photo op they want. These things are important grist for the campaign mill. When you have a big bill passed - and this may end up one of the biggest bills of a fairly unproductive Congress - you want the ceremony. You want the photos with leadership, the photos with the President (if you’re a republican), etc.
Trump basically took his ball, went home, and told them that they couldn’t have their ballgame. They don’t get the TV ad visuals. He loves his little dominance rituals more than almost anything else, being pointlessly abusive to another person or party just to demonstrate that he can do that and they can’t stop him. And this is one example of that.
9 Likes
He was denying them the photo-op moment of passing popular bipartisan legislation, so he proved he had the power to take away something they want.
He was denying himself the same moment, so a bit of a pyrrhic victory I suppose.
2 Likes
Seems short-sighted. He’s jeopardizing GOP control of Congress.
1 Like
It is shortsighted and he doesn’t care about the GOP. It’s was always just the vessel to carry him to power.
That was exactly what he was doing the one time I encountered him, waaay back in 1975 in a swank after hours Manhattan nightclub where his table was near that of my wealthy Harvard hosts…. I stared in astonishment and my hosts ordered me to ignore him, as “he lives for attention”.
5 Likes