Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin unloaded a pointed critique of President Donald Trump on Thursday, arguing the president has failed to build public support for his legislative agenda and is alienating the very Republican senators he needs to end the filibuster.
Speaking on Real America's Voice, Johnson was asked about Trump pressuring Senate Majority Leader John Thune to fire Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth McDonough after she ruled the GOP could not include funding for the president's ballroom in a budget reconciliation bill. He didn't defend the move.
"We added that extraneous item, and now that becomes controversial," Johnson said. "The problem isn't the parliamentarian."
From there, Johnson pivoted to a broader critique of Trump's legislative strategy, arguing the president jumped headfirst into the filibuster fight without first laying the groundwork — and is now paying the price.
"Before we do that, you need to lay out the half-dozen legislative initiatives that you want to see pass that have great public support," Johnson said. "Quite honestly, other than the Save America Act — and that came pretty late in the process here — we haven't made that disciplined case."
Johnson made clear he supports ending the 60-vote threshold and has for some time, saying he was "probably the first Republican senator" to back Trump on the idea. But he warned that the president's approach is backfiring.
"The president's got to do a better job of convincing reluctant Republicans that this is what's going to happen," Johnson said.
His sharpest words were aimed at Trump's hardball tactics with holdouts in the GOP conference.
"Don't be such a pugilist. Don't be beating up on people," Johnson said. "Go and talk to people. Reason with them. Sell them on the concept. Win them over. You're not going to do it through pressure and ripping into people. That's just not a good way to sell."
Johnson acknowledged the votes simply aren't there right now, with senators like Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Rand Paul, and Bill Cassidy seen as hard nos. He placed the burden squarely on Trump to change that.
"President Trump has to sell it," Johnson said. "He has to sell it to the American public and to Republican senators."
