One of the easiest ways to spot a supporter of US President Donald Trump is a red hat declaring “Make America Great Again,” but after a Democratic “tsunami” in the midterms earlier this week, the Republican leader unveiled a new cap that says “VETO.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), an incoming committee chair who’s long sparred with Trump, responded Thursday by making clear that Democrats are determined to pass far-reaching legislation after securing significant—but not veto-proof—majorities in both chambers of Congress.
“If Donald Trump wants to be Mr. Veto, let’s test that out,” she wrote on social media, replying to a White House photo of the hat placed next to the president as he signed an executive order declaring the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room national monuments. “The new Democratic majority in Congress should pass bills to make life more affordable and our government less corrupt.”
Warren’s X post echoed her Thursday op-ed about “why Democrats won the midterms”—as of Friday, they have at least 54 senators and 253 seats in the House of Representatives—and how they now “must deliver… even with Donald Trump in the White House.”
“Trump says he welcomes the nickname ‘Mr. Veto.’ Well, let’s test that out by passing legislation the American people support,” she wrote for Time, urging Democrats to stop the Iran War, reverse GOP healthcare cuts while expanding coverage, fund universal childcare, and cancel “the tax breaks Trump and the Republicans handed out to corporations, ultramillionaires, and billionaires.”
Other priorities for the progressive—who is set to lead the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs—include “bills to ban stock trading by federal officials or crack down on Trump’s corruption in plain sight,” as well as efforts to make “Big Tech CEOs, Wall Street executives, and giant corporations… answer tough questions” about “ripping off the American people.”
Warren isn’t alone in urging the party to call Trump’s bluff once Democrats have enough votes to pass bills without GOP support in January. Also responding to the White House’s hat post, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) declared Friday, “Let’s do it.”
“Let’s dare him to veto” legislation on the following, Duckworth said:
- Ending the Iran War;
- Canceling $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts;
- Restoring Affordable Care Act tax credits;
- Raising the federal minimum wage;
- Terminating tariffs and issuing refunds to consumers;
- Forcing data centers to pay for their own energy and water; and
- Banning presidential and congressional stock trading.
Democratic victories on Tuesday also generated fresh hope about eventually replacing the US for-profit healthcare system with Medicare for All—a hallmark issue for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is expected to chair the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and has been credited with making the party’s policies more progressive via his presidential runs and engagement with voters across the country on his Fighting Oligarchy Tour…
As political observers asserted that “Bernie made the path” for progressive candidates who campaigned on economic populism to win key elections this week, Sanders has said in multiple interviews that the incoming Democrat-controlled Congress should pass Medicare for All—which would save over 114,000 lives and $1 trillion annually—and see if Trump vetoes it.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a possible 2028 presidential contender who previously led Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, similarly argued that despite Trump’s threats this week, the new majorities should fight to improve affordability and tax the rich.
“It is essential that we show the American people where we stand,” Van Hollen told Politico. “If Trump vetoes it, it will just show people that he’s on the side of billionaires.”
While he is reportedly not going to challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to be Senate majority leader post, Van Hollen has also suggested that Democrats should not back the current minority leader without securing his support for a “bold agenda.”
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
NO! Entice him to sigh it by naming it the “Trump is the Greatest President Ever!” bill. And then throw some funding in for his golf course and the arch, we can take those down later.
Use his vanity and lack of impulse control against him.
I imagine there will be a lot of token concessions to Trump to pass a lot of bills. For instance, to get Medicare For All, they might also have to let Trump put his name on the Kennedy Center. He only does anything for himself, and occasionally his immediate family, so it’s an easy weakness to target.