President Donald Trump is desperate for a win, and can you blame him? His strike on Iran was a political disaster, and his approval ratings are tanking. Now he’s betting big on a legislative turnaround, hoping that his “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” can reset the narrative.
According to Axios, the Trump team is already mapping out a post-July 4 victory tour. That’s the arbitrary deadline Vice President JD Vance set for Congress to pass the package, despite there being no guarantee that the bill will clear the Senate in time—or at all.
The bill sailed through the House, but it’s now bogged down in the Senate, where even some Republicans are pumping the brakes. That’s, in part, because the legislation slashes Medicaid and food aid to deliver tax breaks to the wealthy, which would spike the national debt and hit working families hard.
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, one of several GOP deficit hawks raising concerns, has been sounding the alarm, warning that the bill would explode the national debt.
“What we should be doing is bending the curve of deficits down. In this reconciliation process, we’re not even coming close,” Johnson said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Even so, Senate Majority Leader John Thune insists that they’re staying put until the job’s done.
“Senators return to Washington today and we will remain here until this bill is passed,” he declared in a Fox News op-ed.
Meanwhile, a White House source told Axios, “Tough hasn’t stopped us before.”
That’s a bold proclamation, especially for a bill that voters flat-out dislike. A Pew Research Center survey conducted June 2-8 found that 49% of U.S. adults oppose the bill, while only 29% support it. A majority of 55% believe it would primarily benefit high-income earners. Just 24% think it would help them personally, while 47% believe it would make their lives worse.
A poll for Quinnipiac University found similar results, with just 27% of registered voters backing the bill, while 53% oppose it. Among independents, the gap is even starker: 20% support and 57% oppose. Even Fox News polling showed 59% opposition, compared to just 38% support.
But none of that is stopping Trump.
His administration is reportedly preparing a whole-of-government PR blitz, with Trump, Vance, and Cabinet officials fanning out across swing states and vulnerable GOP districts to pitch the legislation as a major win.
Make no mistake: This is not a win. For a midterm cycle that’s already shaping up to be competitive for Republicans, choosing this as the centerpiece of their pitch to voters is beyond baffling.
Then again, Trump also thinks that he successfully negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Iran after launching U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. The ceasefire lasted mere hours before the war continued.
It’s just more delusional thinking from Trump. His “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” is toxic, and lawmakers are already having to face angry constituents. Why Republicans think this should be their midterm strategy is anyone’s guess.