In recent days, President Trump issued two furious tirades demanding that Republicans end the Senate filibuster to reopen the government. He ranted at great length in demanding this “NOW” and exploded in all caps while urging the “NUCLEAR OPTION.” As many noted, this undercut Republicans, revealing that they could simply end the shutdown themselves, ultimately showing that they control the government. Then Trump ranted about his horror that health care premiums are set to spike for millions. This too undercuts the GOP, because guess who won’t extend Affordable Care Act subsidies to prevent that? Republicans! Trump’s fury forced Mike Johnson into an awkward routine, declaring that the president is “angry” because … the government hasn’t reopened. But this just showed how disconnected Trump is from all this, highlighting the Trump-GOP refusal to do the hard work of negotiating a settlement. We talked to Fair Share America organizer Maura Quint. She discusses Johnson’s bizarre clean-up for the president, Trump’s dereliction, how this is perceived by low-information voters, and whether this will allow Democrats to penetrate Trump-dominated info spaces. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
PODCAST
Trump’s Angry New Tirades Push Mike Johnson Into Awkward Clean-Up Mode
As Trump’s eruptions over the shutdown create new complications for the House Speaker, a progressive organizer explains how this reveals Trump’s deep laziness—and how voters on the ground are reacting to it.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson in Washington, D.C., on October 22
