During a recent briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared categorically that Donald Trump “does not bluff.” This was certainly in line with the image the president and his team have long been eager to convey to the nation and the world: When the Republican makes threats and issues ultimatums, everyone should fully expect him to follow through.
Those who follow Trump’s actual approach to governance clearly know better — there’s a reason the “TACO” meme caught on — and one of the more embarrassing examples is coming into focus.
Exactly two months ago, the president used his social media platform to promote a far-right legislative proposal that he called the Save America Act, which would make it harder for voters to register to vote, make it harder for voters to cast ballots and, for some reason, would also impose new discriminatory measures targeting transgender Americans. His March 8 missive was one of several online items related to the bill, except this one included a unique vow.
“I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed,” Trump wrote.
In other words, as far as the president was concerned, he would refuse to sign every bill that cleared the Republican-led Congress, indefinitely, until his anti-voting, anti-transgender package reached his desk.
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Except, two months later, we now know that he didn’t mean a word of it. In the days and weeks that followed his online declaration, Trump signed one bill into law, then another, then another. He proceeded to sign four more bills into law without any mention of the March 8 pledge.
In other words, the president who “does not bluff” was clearly bluffing. He said he would not sign other bills until the Save America Act cleared Capitol Hill, and then he signed seven bills without giving his vow so much as a passing mention.
As for the anti-voting, anti-trans package the president remains desperate to sign, he’s going to have to start lowering his expectations. The New Republic reported Thursday:
It seems that no one is coming to rescue the SAVE Act.
Weeks after Donald Trump stressed to his party that passing that voter restriction bill was the “most important thing” they could do, Senate Republicans have shelved the legislation entirely, unable to bypass the Democratic filibuster that stands in the way of its potential passage.
This dovetailed with a Punchbowl News report that said the far-right proposal has been “shelved,” adding, “Now, even the bill’s most outspoken GOP supporters are acknowledging that another drawn-out Senate floor debate would be a futile exercise.”
No wonder Trump has quietly walked away from the threat he issued to lawmakers two months ago.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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