Donald Trump’s otherwise unstoppable MAGA machine suffered a (for-now-small) setback on Wednesday, when Senate Republicans decided on John Thune for majority leader.
John was Mitch McConnell’s No. 2 and just as importantly, he doesn’t have any screws loose, which explains why Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson preferred Rick Scott. Rick got the fewest votes in the first round of the secret ballot. Thune prevailed over John Cornyn to win the second round.
Thune’s not going to do crazy for the sake of it. I’m not suggesting he won’t work hard to push Trump’s agenda, but he’s not going to be an easy sell on ideas that don’t make any sense or that might be dangerous, which is — you know — what you want in a Senate majority leader. It says a lot about the dire straits America’s in when being rational is disqualifying in the eyes of the incoming president’s closest allies.
Musk congratulated Thune, but he (Elon) loudly supported Scott prior to the vote. Trump demanded (literally) that the new majority leader be all-in on recess appointments, a controversial ask to put it politely. We’ll see how Thune handles that. Hopefully with some respect for the chamber.
Trump’s acolytes in the Senate attempted to push the vote out to give Trump a chance to influence it. Ron Johnson called the quick turnaround on the leadership vote “outrageous.” With all due respect (so, none) Ron, what would’ve been “outrageous” is delaying the process unnecessarily for the sole purpose of giving Trump time to intimidate and erode Thune’s hard-won support.
Among other potential friction points, Thune’s unlikely to champion the Trump administration’s isolationist push, and although John will have to foster an amicable relationship with Trump, he won’t ever see eye-to-eye with “Tariff Man.” Thune’s a free trader. No amount of shouting on social media from Trump’s going to dissuade John on that point.
Above, I called Thune’s elevation a “small” problem for now. Make no mistake: It could be a big problem for Trump eventually. Whatever he says in public, Thune’s never going to be a card-carrying member of the MAGA cult. And in his second term, Trump won’t have any tolerance at all for inter-party dissent, particularly not from the Senate majority leader.
On the bright side for MAGA, the GOP sealed the deal on a governing trifecta, when multiple media outlets called the House for Republicans. Trump met with House GOPers to rally the troops. “Isn’t it nice to win?” he wondered. He also made clear his “preference” (note the scare quotes) that Mike Johnson remain House Speaker.
Trump, who was joined at the gathering by Musk, alluded to a third term. “I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s so good we’ve got to figure something else out,'” he told lawmakers, to a smattering of nervous laughter.
Also on Wednesday, Trump took an awkward meeting with Joe Biden at the White House. “Welcome back,” Biden told him. A fire burned in the hearth behind their handshake.
And now I see Matt Gaetz is AG… Evil Clown Car.
And Tulsi! Time to re-read “Dances With Wolves” folks —> https://heisenbergreport.com/2024/07/17/dances-with-wolves/
This, everybody, is why you should read the Monthlies. My goodness. Tulsi as a US intel insider has been a project for nearly a decade. I don’t think America has any idea how eerie that really is. It’s certainly eerie for me.
At this point, Trump should just cut out all the middlemen/women and give Putin a full security clearance. Russia doesn’t even need to hide the bugs in our embassy anymore. Might as well just have a FaceTime session with Putin on in the White House and Pentagon at all times.
Co-sign.
I came to post the same . . and Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Cue the circus music….
Is Gaetz like the Peter Navarro of the second Trump administration?
I had no doubts it was going to happen fast and furious. Thune will not be able to resist long, by year two he will no longer lead the Senate, and not because the Dems turned the chamber in the midterms. The Empire’s rot is too deep for any hope of healing now.
Admittedly, the Empire is not without rot. I appreciate Thune being present and serving as leader. We need someone to provide normalcy. I pray he can successfully hold the leadership role and be a positive and influential presence. I hope we’re so lucky.
To your point, rapid and evolving change and the quick, ongoing theft of power, orchestrated by the feeble-minded gang of compulsive, selfish jerks now taking charge of the United States government, is setting a frightening table for our country,
The dynamics built into the design of our government may allow American freedom to bend. But the wild power that may be exercised will have consequences. I only hope this whole Trump charade proves the quality, integrity, and strength of our government’s design.