Yahoo Finance This week in Trumponomics: Maybe Trump’s a Democrat
President Trump is spending his final days in office tormenting his fellow Republicans.
Trump’s last-second objection to the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill Congress approved after eight months of negotiation is an unexpected Christmas gift for Democrats. Trump says the $600 direct payment to most Americans contained in the bill is too small. He wants $2,000. Trump could have insisted on this while Congress was drafting the bill, but he was too busy trying to overturn Joe Biden’s presidential election win. No matter. What Trump really wants is to reassert himself and administer one last loyalty test while he still has some leverage.
Democrats are gleeful. They’d happily accept a supersized stimulus payment, and even better, they now get to watch Republicans battle each other as they try to figure out what to do about Trump. Some Congressional Republicans think $2,000 is too generous, and there’s no chance of that getting into the bill unless other provisions come out. And if other parts of the bill change, the entire compromise will collapse. The whole bill is a giant Jenga stack that can’t withstand the alteration of a single component.
In the end, Trump will probably sign the bill
Here’s the likely endgame: While objecting to the bill, Trump didn’t say he’d veto it. If he did, he’d catch the blame for expiring unemployment benefits that leave hard-up workers in the lurch, along with a government shutdown on Dec. 28 and all manner of associated chaos. So Trump will probably sign the bill unceremoniously before that happens, content to have caused a temporary uproar in Washington. The economy needs this aid, which is why this week’s Trump-o-meter reads MEDIOCRE, the third-highest rating.
Signing the bill, however, won’t end Trump’s war with fellow Republicans, and the hostilities have implications for what Congress is likely to accomplish during the next two years. Trump is steamed that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and some other Congressional Republicans aren’t going along with his effort to overturn the election and stay in office for another four years illegally. He’s trying to retaliate by threatening the political future of those who cross him. Trump has now made it clear this will continue until he leaves office on Jan. 20.
This GOP civil war could affect the Jan. 5 runoff elections in Georgia, which will determine which party controls the Senate and directly affect incoming President Biden’s legislative agenda. Trump has campaigned for the two Republican incumbents, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who have no choice but to kneel before Lord Trump, since they need the votes of every last Trump supporter. But Georgia conservatives might wonder why Perdue and Loeffler suddenly seem to be supporting a legislative giveaway more in line with Democratic largesse than small-government conservatism. Both races are close, and if the Democratic challengers win both races, control of the Senate will shift to Democrats.
Trump’s real mission is to disrupt the Jan. 6 tally of the 2020 electoral vote in a joint session of Congress. Trump can’t overturn the election results, but he can incite protest among loyal Republicans to bolster his bogus claim of election fraud. If one member of both the House and Senate challenge the electoral results, it will force Congress to take up the matter, even though the leaders of both parties know Biden won. Most Congressional Republicans want to avoid a spectacle that elevates the party’s seditious kooks. Democrats will look like the sane party, compared with unhinged Republicans. Trump doesn’t care.
By Jan. 20, it’s likely the $900 billion relief bill will be law, and if it’s not, Congress will pass it again, for Joe Biden to sign once he’s president. Trump’s antics won’t change the outcome. But they’ll make life difficult for Republicans, which is fine with Trump. Why should they enjoy the perks of office, if he can’t.
Rick Newman is the author of four books, including “Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success.” Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman. Confidential tip line: rickjnewman@yahoo.com. Click here to get Rick’s stories by email.
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