'Don't be stupid': How Trump berated Republican hard-liners into backing his bill

22 May

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures next to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), on the day of a closed House Republican Conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

After the House of Representatives narrowly passed President Donald Trump's major budget bill by a 215-214 margin early Thursday morning, new details are emerging about how the president cajoled and arm-twisted some of the more conservative members of the House Republican Conference into backing it.

Politico reported Thursday that while some members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus initially opposed elements of the legislation, virtually all of them ended up falling in line, save for a small few. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) were "no" votes, while three others — including Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) – either abstained or voted present.

According to Politico's Rachel Bade, Harris in particular found himself at the center of Trump's rage. The Maryland Republican reportedly went straight to reporters awaiting the conclusion of a meeting between Trump and Republican hard-liners and told them that his faction was still far off from supporting the bill. That apparently irked Trump, who confronted Harris.

“You’re out there grandstanding when you should be uniting,” Trump said, according to unnamed eyewitnesses who spoke to Bade. “You are going to sink this legislation and have the highest tax increase in history and bankrupt the country. That’s the only alternative.”

"Enough is enough," he added. "Get it done."

The meeting between Trump and far-right Republicans reportedly began with the president attempting to convince hard-liners of the multiple wins in the bill that they could take back to their constituents. This included significant spending cuts to both Medicaid and Medicare, rolling back clean energy tax credits in former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act and moving up implementation of new Medicaid work requirements past the 2026 midterm elections. He ended his pitch with an implicit threat.

“Don’t blow this opportunity,” Trump said. “You have a victory before you. Take the victory. And don’t be stupid.”

Click here to read Bade's full article in Politico.

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