President Donald Trump issued a panicked plea Monday to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) as the clock ticks on his controversial voter ID bill known as the SAVE Act, warning the South Dakota Republican that “stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH.”
“John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
“The Dumocrats will do it on day one, and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership. Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!”
The SAVE Act has stalled in the Senate, with Thune repeatedly claiming he lacks the votes to advance the bill. As a means to force through the SAVE Act, Trump has pressed Thune to eliminate the filibuster, a Senate rule that effectively blocks legislation from advancing in Congress’ upper chamber without 60 votes. Thune has consistently resisted pressure to do so.
Described by some critics as a form of “voter suppression,” The SAVE Act would require voters to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote, something experts say could pose hurdles for the 52% of voters who don’t possess a passport and the 11% who don’t have access to their birth certificate. The bill would also disproportionately affect voters with lower incomes, who make up a significant share of Democratic Party voters.