Donald Trump pleads with Republican Congress: don’t oust me yet
Donald Trump’s illegitimate presence in the White House caused the Republican Party to get wiped out in November 2017 elections, forcing the party to ask itself serious questions about whether to oust Trump before it can suffer a far bigger wipeout in November 2018. Michael Flynn is cutting a deal against Trump which will make his Russia scandal even more politically toxic. Trump knows he’s in trouble, and on Sunday night he delivered a message to the Republican Congress: don’t oust me yet.
There are three reasons the GOP hasn’t yet strategically pushed Donald Trump out of office. The first is that his approval rating is still hovering in the mid to low thirties; it won’t become a feeding frenzy until he finally drops into the twenties, but that’s coming. The second is that the GOP has been hastily ramming through as many judicial appointments as it can, though that process is nearing an end. The third is that the GOP is trying to ram through a tax scam bill which steals from the middle class and gives it all to the party’s wealthy donors.
Here’s what Trump tweeted on Sunday night: “Back in D.C., big week for Tax Cuts and many other things of great importance to our Country. Senate Republicans will hopefully come through for all of us. The Tax Cut Bill is getting better and better. The end result will be great for ALL!” He’s not talking to the public, as most Americans oppose the tax bill. Instead, he’s speaking directly to the Republican Congress. He’s saying ‘You still need me.’
On some level, he’s right. If the Republican Congress does decide to strategically oust Donald Trump in the hope of saving their own skin in the 2018 midterms, it’ll mean they won’t get a single piece of legislation passed while that ugly process is playing out. The GOP needs to keep Trump in place until its tax scam sinks or swims. But after that, they’ll have little reason to keep him around – particularly as Michael Flynn’s deal makes the Russia scandal infinitely uglier and his approval rating drops even further. Trump now sounds like he’s ready to quit, but he seems to want to go on his own terms.
