Donald Trump’s first full week in workplace was an abject catastrophe.
The just-inaugurated president tried to implement a freeze on all congressionally appropriated federal funding. The blatantly illegal effort would have led to huge human struggling had the administration not backed down amid a huge stress marketing campaign by Democratic lawmakers and a lawsuit filed by 23 Democratic attorneys common.
He blamed the DEI bogeyman, aka variety, fairness, and inclusion, for the tragic Wednesday aircraft crash in Washington, D.C., earlier than any investigation had taken place into what may have induced the catastrophe—and earlier than all 67 victims had even been recognized.
He introduced 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada that can spike grocery costs and successfully result in tax will increase for all Individuals.
And he began implementing his purge of the federal workforce, which may have damaging impacts on Individuals, all in an effort to get revenge on the individuals he thinks wronged him.
However as an alternative of standing as much as Trump, Republican lawmakers gave mealymouthed statements making an attempt to defend his lawless and merciless habits.
Mainly, nothing has modified since 2016.
In what additionally appears like a foul case of deja vu, Wall Road Journal columnist Peggy Noonan reported that Republicans are again to expressing non-public frustration with Trump, whereas publicly supporting his each whim.
Republican lawmakers, together with these most supportive of the president, are beside themselves with anxiousness. If you communicate to them—off the report, between pleasant acquaintances—and ask the way it’s going, they shift, look off, shrug: You know the way it’s going.
A GOP senator who helps the president had a blanched look. “He doesn’t do anything to make it easy,” he shrugged.What’s the which means of the averted eyes and anxious faces? It means Trump 2.0 isn’t higher. It means for all of the speak of the brand new professionalism within the Trump operation, they need to get used to the chaos once more and trip it, tempting the gods of order and steadiness. After one week they concluded the primary administration wasn’t a nervous breakdown and the second isn’t a restoration; as an alternative, once more they’re on a ship with a captain in an prolonged manic part who by no means settles into soothing melancholy.
Right here’s a rundown of the chaos Republicans have been defending all week:
Republicans on Trump blaming DEI for the aircraft crash
Whereas Democrats had been fast to lambast Trump for his vile assertion that variety in some way induced the aircraft crash, GOP lawmakers weren’t.
Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri went on Fox Information to again up Trump’s baseless declare.
The Federal Aviation Administration “is riddled with DEI problems and hiring problems and it’s inevitable that something is going to happen,” Burlison informed Fox Enterprise’ Maria Bartiromo.
Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, agreed with Fox Information host Will Cain, who stated that, “DEI is a policy that exacerbates human error. We need to cut out every policy that allows for anything where we maximize the potential for human error.”
“Yeah. President Trump is going to keep America safe,” Britt stated in response to Cain’s assertion.
As an alternative of criticizing Trump for blaming DEI for the crash, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, gave Trump deference.
“Well, he knows more about it than I do,” Hawley informed reporters. “I’m sure he’s been briefed on it now, multiple times, we haven’t been briefed yet at all, so we need to be briefed on everything that we know so far.”
In the meantime, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina opted to play dumb.
“I don’t know what happened last night,” Graham informed HuffPost. “I don’t know if there’s any DEI element to it or not. I’ve heard nothing about that.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas didn’t criticize Trump, however he did inform HuffPost that individuals ought to “wait to see the results of that investigation” earlier than blaming DEI.
“Obviously one or more people made a devastating and catastrophic mistake, but we should wait to examine the evidence and understand exactly what went on,” Cruz stated.
Republicans on Trump’s federal funding freeze
After Trump’s Workplace of Administration and Price range despatched out a memo ordering the funding freeze, Republicans had been fast to defend it, regardless that unilaterally halting funding that Congress already accepted and signed into regulation strips lawmakers of their constitutional energy of the purse.
“I fully support it,” Home Speaker Mike Johnson informed reporters on Tuesday. “This is the appropriate thing for a new administration to do.”
“I think that’s normal practice at the beginning of an administration until they have an opportunity to view how the money is being spent,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated.
Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who chairs the Home Appropriations Committee that crafts the spending payments Trump tried to freeze, informed CNN’s Manu Raju that he “doesn’t have a problem” with Trump’s actions.
“I think that’s probably what you ought to do when you’re coming in as a new administration,” Cole stated.
Rep. Wealthy McCormick of Georgia defended the freeze, which may have impacted childhood most cancers analysis, grants for low-income households to afford preschool, and free faculty lunches for needy kids. A heartless McCormick stated poor youngsters ought to work to earn these lunches.
“When you talk about school lunches, hey, I worked my way through high school,” McMormick stated throughout an interview on CNN. “I don’t know about you, but I worked since before I was even 13 years old. I was picking berries in a field before they had child labor laws that precluded that. I was a paper boy, and when I was in high school I worked my entire way through. You’re telling me that kids who stay at home instead of going to work at Burger King or McDonalds during the summer, should stay at home and get their free lunch?”
Then there have been the shameless flip-floppers.
“President Trump campaigned on getting our spending under control. I support that objective, and as a former CEO, I know that sometimes you need to press pause to make sure spending lines up with your strategic plan,” freshman Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania wrote in a submit on X, initially defending the freeze. “I am hearing from constituents about the spending pause and am closely monitoring what it means for PA. I understand this pause will not affect direct benefits to Pennsylvanians. If there are problems, I want to get them fixed, fast.”
However after the Trump administration folded, he acted as if he was frightened all alongside and was glad that the pause was pulled.
“I’m grateful to all the Pennsylvanians who reached out about the Administration’s spending pause over the last 24 hours. The pause has been rescinded. Your input made a difference- thank you,” McCormick wrote.
Republicans on Trump firing inspectors common
In a Friday evening bloodbath, Trump fired 17 inspectors common who’re tasked with working investigations into waste, fraud, and abuse in federal companies, violating a regulation that claims presidents should give a written discover to Congress 30 days prematurely of the firings that offers a “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for his or her dismissal.
As an alternative of criticizing the lawless habits, Republicans defended it.
“Well listen, under the Constitution, Article 2 of the Constitution gives the president the executive authority, and the executive authority is over every officer, every employee of the executive authority,” Ted Cruz stated in an interview on CNBC.
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas additionally defended Trump.
“Ultimately, these inspectors general serve at the pleasure of the president. He wants new people in there. He wants new people focused on getting out waste and fraud and abuse and reforming these agencies. He has a right to get in there who he wants,” Cotton stated throughout an look on “Fox News Sunday.”
Graham admitted that Trump most likely broke the regulation when he fired the inspectors common, however stated he doesn’t care.
“He won the election. What do you expect him to do, just leave everybody in place in Washington before he got elected?” Graham stated in an look on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “This makes perfect sense to me. … These watchdog folks did a pretty lousy job. He wants some new eyes on Washington.”
In keeping with Graham, Trump can disregard legal guidelines as a result of he received an election. One thing tells me he would by no means say the identical factor a couple of Democratic president.
