Trump Robs His Own Party of Major Legislative Celebration

Trump’s “protest” of his own housing bill deals another blow to Republicans with midterms fast approaching.

Trump held the line on not signing the bipartisan housing bill that would deliver on his own campaign promise, like a little kid holding his breath until he turns blue and hits the floor in the cereal aisle. A hell of a position to take with midterms rapidly approaching and Americans feeling more squeezed than ever, especially on the astronomical cost of housing.

While the passage of a bipartisan bill in this political climate is nothing short of a miracle, this one really was a no-brainer. It lowers home prices, speeds up building, and reins in the corporate landlords buying up single-family homes. Democrats called it the biggest housing bill in decades, Republicans called it a win for families. Trump called it a “yawn.”

---

Here’s a special offer for Substack readers. If you pre-order my new book, The Day After, you can get a signed bookplate by filling out this form. The offer is only valid until July 13. And please come see me on my book tour on July 14 in DC, July 15 in NY, and July 18 in LA.

---

The bill sailed through both chambers of Congress before reaching Trump’s desk on June 29th— where he defiantly refused to sign it, opting instead to use it as leverage to pass the SAVE America Act, Trump’s fever dream legislation which ultimately amounts to a federal takeover of elections. Yesterday, he reiterated his refusal to budge, explicitly saying on Truth Social that it’s in “protest” of the Senate not passing the SAVE America Act. He’s made it crystal clear to Americans that he’d rather housing be unattainable than give up his crusade to gut voting rights.

His critics claim he’s blowing the midterms. But that’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the Trump psychology. He is, in fact, laser focused on the midterms— because the SAVE America Act would help him rig them. He doesn’t want to earn votes, which he could legitimately do by signing this housing bill; he wants to rig the rules of the game before a single vote is even cast.

The fact that he wouldn’t sign his own party’s bill in accordance with his own campaign promise goes to show that he feels absolutely no need to deliver for the people to whom he pandered on the campaign trail. When a president would rather blow up his own party’s legislative win than let a real election happen on a level playing field, that tells you he’s not preparing to win the midterms. He’s preparing to make sure it doesn’t matter whether he does.

Because the 10-day clock ran out at midnight last night and Trump didn’t explicitly veto the legislation, the housing bill automatically became law. He won’t get to take credit for it, and his tantrum effectively neutered the Republicans’ ability to celebrate its passage. Instead, we’re having a national conversation about how Trump attempted to sacrifice his own campaign promise in his desperation to consolidate political power for himself. Which, ultimately, is the perfect microcosm for the MAGA movement over which he presides.

---

A reminder: please pre-order my new book, The Day After, and grab tickets to my book tour on July 14 in DC, July 15 in NY, or July 18 in LA.

---