Trump presses GOP detractors
It’s Tuesday. Starbucks has begun serving its summer menu! I’m intrigued by the new Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso.
In today's issue:
- Johnson brings in Trump to whip votes
- Trump warns GOP: ‘Don’t f--- with Medicaid”
- Biden’s health reemerges as Trump fodder
- Elon Musk to pull back on political spending
⏱️️ TRUMP'S CAPITOL HILL AGENDA
President drops F-bomb on House GOP:
House Republican leadership is putting their foot to the pedal to try to pass President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” by their self-imposed Memorial Day deadline. But with the massive hurdles keeping them from the finish line, they brought in Trump himself.
Trump made a trip to Capitol Hill this morning to rally House Republicans to pass his agenda. His message to reporters was how unified his party is — except for those who haven't fallen in line. His message to those GOP members standing in his way was … well, a bit unnerving.
He targeted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who opposes the reconciliation package, in particular. “I don’t think Thomas Massie understands government. I think he’s a grandstander, frankly,” Trump told reporters. “I think he should be voted out of office.”
Remember: It’s much easier to buck Johnson’s leadership team than it is to buck the powerful second-term president, who has threatened to support ousting them from office through well-funded primary challenges.
Trump weighed in on a few sticking points:
➤ ???? Trump said to lay off Medicaid: A source told The Hill that Trump urged Republicans to “leave Medicaid alone” and instead just focus on “waste, fraud, abuse only in Medicaid.” Per The Hill’s Mychael Schnell, he used the f-word twice, telling Republicans, “Don’t f--- with Medicaid.”
➤ Trump told SALT proponents to back off: Trump urged Republicans who are pushing for an increase in state and local tax (SALT) deductions to back down and take what’s being offered. (Reminder: Republican members in blue states want to raise the SALT deductions, arguing it was aimed to target wealthy taxpayers but is also hurting middle-class taxpayers in high-tax states.)
????️ Follow today’s live blog
Who will decide the fate of Trump’s bill?: The Washington Post explains that there are five ideological factions that Johnson must perfectly balance to pass the bill. For example, the House Freedom Caucus and the Problem Solvers Caucus. This is a helpful graphic.
➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:
???? Watch Trump walk in with his massive entourage
➤ WHAT’S IN THE 1,116-PAGE BILL?:
- Extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts
- Raise the cap for SALT deduction
- Nix taxes on tips
- Cut green energy tax credits
- Reform Medicaid
- Reform food stamp program
- Raise the debt limit, etc.
????Quick explainer of what’s in the bill
➤ RELATED READS:
The Atlantic: Congressional Republicans vs. Reality: GOP House leaders still can’t find a way to make the math of Trump’s tax bill add up.
The New York Times: Investors Are Jittery as G.O.P. Bill Threatens to Swell Deficit
????️️ OTHER NEWS
Lots of opinions on Biden’s health:
It took less than two days for former President Biden’s aggressive cancer diagnosis to become a hot-button political topic.
This surely adds to it: The highly anticipated book from CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson on Biden’s mental decline was published today.
It has very much been on President Trump’s mind. This morning while in the U.S. Capitol, Trump blasted Biden and his aides for their use of an autopen (a machine that uses real ink for a programmed signature). He has baselessly questioned whether Biden even knew about the orders he signed.
From Trump: “Biden — look, it’s a very sad thing what happened, but we’re going to start looking into this whole thing with who signed this legislation. Who signed legislation opening our border? I don’t think he knew. I said, ‘There’s nobody that can want an open border. Nobody,'” Trump told reporters when he arrived at the Capitol to help break the GOP impasse on the reconciliation bill. “And now I find out that it wasn’t him. He autopenned it.”
Ah, remember Dean Phillips?: He’s the former Democratic congressman from Minnesota who challenged Biden in 2024? Well, he told The New York Times that he doesn’t think Biden’s cancer diagnosis announcement timing was “coincidental.” “I don’t think it’s coincidental that this was announced this week. … It’s hard to comport otherwise.”
Jon Stewart knocked CNN for the book: The “Daily Show” host argued the book’s promotion “seems almost disrespectful” now in light of Biden’s new diagnosis.
Is this Elon Musk’s ‘off into the sunset’ moment?:
Megabillionaire Elon Musk says he plans to pull back on political spending after pouring gobs of money into getting President Trump reelected in 2024.
Musk said at the Qatar Economic Forum: “In terms of political spending, I’m going to do a lot less in the future. … If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason.”
COMING UP
The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST)
12:30 p.m.: Senators meet for weekly caucus luncheons. ????Today’s agenda
1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters for “take our sons and daughters to work day.” ???? Livestream
1:30 p.m.: First House votes. Last votes are expected at 5 p.m. ????Today’s agenda
3 p.m.: Trump makes an announcement with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. ???? Livestream
???? INTERNET BUZZ
???? Celebrate: Today is National Quiche Lorraine Day.
???? This headline has my full attention: The New York Times’s Tiffany May writes, “China’s First Police Corgi Has 400,000 Followers and a Nose for Trouble.” Of course, there are photos of Fu Zai.
???? AND FINALLY…
Because this made me laugh, watch this little boy try to learn how to blow a whistle.