'On their own': Dems urged to leave Trump to it as he's accused of violating 16 laws

It's time for Democrats to take a step back and let President Donald Trump dig his administration's own grave, Dana Milbank wrote for The Washington Post on Friday.

The simple fact is, he wrote, Trump and Republicans have the votes to pass much of their agenda. But where Democrats can't stop them, they can wash their hands of it and let the GOP own their policies when they hurt voters — especially considering, he added, "It turns out that, if you elect a felon as president of the United States, he will continue to break laws once he’s in office. Who knew?"

By Milbank's estimation, Trump has already violated 16 laws stretching back a century and a half.

• The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act of 2024.
• The Administrative Leave Act of 2016. The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014.
• The Affordable Care Act of 2010.
• The Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998.
• The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.
• The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986.
• The Inspector General Act of 1978.
• The Privacy Act of 1974.
• The Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
• The Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
• The Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972.
• The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.
• The Administrative Procedure Act of 1946.
• The Public Health Service Act 1944.
• The Antideficiency Act of 1870.

And this doesn't include his possibly numerous violations of the Constitution.

ALSO READ: Dems in disarray: Unforced error nixes Elon Musk subpoena — and sparks infighting

Yet Republicans are willing to go along with all this, noted Milbank, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) scoffing on Fox News that Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk are just "doing what we’ve all expected and hoped and asked that they would do."

"These are not the words of a constitutionally designated leader of the legislative branch. These are the words of a Donald Trump handmaiden," wrote Milbank. "And it is time for Democrats to treat him as such" — starting with cutting off all negotiations to avert a government shutdown.

"Clearly, there is no hope of good-faith negotiation with Trump, or with Johnson. Republicans control the House, Senate and White House. Let them pass a 2025 spending bill on their own. Let them raise the debt ceiling on their own. Let them enact Trump’s entire agenda on their own. They have the votes. Democrats ought not give them a single one," Milbank added.

After all, he argued, why should Democrats negotiate "in good faith" on things like that when "Trump has shown that he will ignore the spending bills passed by Congress and fund only those programs he supports — the Constitution, and the law, be damned," and Johnson will simply say that is what he "expected and hoped and asked" for?

"Democrats, by withholding their votes, will be giving Trump and Johnson some good parenting," Milbank concluded. "Republicans can shut the government down. Or they can enact the sort of devastating cuts to popular programs that they like to talk about. Either way, the voters will provide the natural consequences."