Trump: Kill the Filibuster, Get Tough Now
President Donald Trump went after Senate Republicans on Sunday night. Short and blunt. He said they are playing it too soft and urged them to end the filibuster so Congress can actually pass what voters want.
The row started over a last-minute DHS funding bill that reopened the government but left ICE funding out. Trump called the deal “It’s a shame.” He told reporters the Senate should “Terminate the filibuster, just vote, and you’ll get everything you want.”
He tore into Democrats over border policy. “They’re like terrorists, and we have to protect our country, we have to protect our border, have to protect our wall,” he said, blasting moves he sees as letting dangerous people in.
Trump made clear he thinks the GOP can do more. He named names. Leader John Thune got singled out — not with a firing-squad speech, but with a fast kick to lead better. When asked about Thune saying they don’t have the votes to end the filibuster, Trump pushed back. He quoted the hesitation: “We don’t have the votes.” Then added that being a leader means getting the votes anyway.
He also said of Thune: “I like him so much. He’s a high-quality person.” But liking someone, he argued, doesn’t replace action. “Well, he’s only a couple of votes short, but that’s what being a leader is. You have to get the votes,” Trump said.
The President kept circling back to a simple political pitch: the SAVE America Act, voter ID, proof of citizenship. He pointed to polling and to public anger. “It’s an 87% issue with all voters, including Democrats!” he said, arguing that these are commonsense moves voters support and that partisan leaders who block them are protecting cheating, not democracy.
This tone sparked heat within the GOP. Some conservative lawmakers are furious that the shutdown-ending bill landed without ICE money. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee told reporters he was disgusted at the timing and at deal-making that left senators hanging — and he specifically slammed Thune for cutting a deal with Chuck Schumer.
More Republicans are now calling for tougher leadership. They want votes. They want the filibuster gone if that’s what it takes. And they want the SAVE America agenda moved.
Trump’s message was direct: stop trading away priorities in late-night deals. If Senate leaders can’t marshal votes, either find them or change the rules. He argued voters back the tough-line agenda. He said Republicans should stop worrying about optics and start winning policy battles.
Short, raw, and politically loaded. That was the Air Force One briefing. The Senate now faces a clear choice: push harder, or see activists and voters turn crankier by the week.