President Trump stormed Capitol Hill today, delivering an ultimatum to the GOP’s fractious factions: vote for his “big beautiful bill” or face the consequences.
Gone was the dealmaker’s smile. In its place—raw political muscle. Trump confronted the conservative hardliners in the Freedom Caucus with unmistakable clarity: he’ll slash waste from Medicaid but won’t tolerate benefit cuts. His message boiled down to six words: “We are NOT ‘f-ing’ cutting Medicaid.”
The moderate Republicans fared no better. When blue-state representatives pushed for more SALT (state and local tax) deductions, Trump told them to shove their requests where the sun doesn’t shine. “$30,000 is your ceiling—deal with it,” he bluntly informed them.
The President’s nuclear option hangs in the air: a phone, a pen, and a well-funded PAC ready to primary any Republican who defies him. His unspoken threat resonated through the halls of Congress: “Vote this down and we will turf you out.”
Trump’s power play stems from a simple political reality—he secured 77 million votes. They didn’t.
Is the bill perfect? No. Is it very good? Yes. Let’s not make the perfect the enemy of the good.
We need to achieve 3.0 percent GDP growth to make this work and reduce debt. Trump got that in 2018 after his Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
President Reagan got that in the eighties after his tax cut bill took hold.
That is the Trump we need right now.