The Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial board bashed President Donald Trump's latest legislative "mish-mosh" that came to a boil on Wednesday.
Trump abruptly canceled a bill-signing ceremony for the overwhelmingly popular 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act to force lawmakers to pass his SAVE America Act, a less popular piece of legislation that would fundamentally reshape how American elections are conducted. The move caught several Republicans by surprise, some of whom still showed up to the ceremony because they had not been notified of the cancellation.
The WSJ editors took Trump to task in a new editorial.
"Mercury, thy name is Donald Trump," the editorial reads in part.
"If he wants to kill Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s housing masterpiece, fine by us. But his election bill has no chance of passing either way," it added.
The editors added that they were not fond of Trump's housing bill anyway, arguing it wouldn't lower housing costs as many Americans hope. The abrupt cancellation happened at a time when the cost of living is the top concern for voters as the 2026 midterm elections approach.
"We’re glad to see the President has come around to our criticism of the housing bill, which will do more to augment federal control over housing than to make homes more affordable. Many of the bill’s mish-mosh of 50-some provisions expand federal grant programs that his own Administration has tried to kill," the editorial argued.
The editors added that Trump will likely back down from his threat and leave the mess empty-handed.
"Mr. Trump will probably sign the housing bill eventually, but don’t expect it to make much difference in the elections. As Mr. Trump said, interest rates matter more," they wrote.