'Getting in the way': Why Trump is threatening to primary this far-right Texas GOP rep

19 December 2024

Ever since his November 5 victory, President-elect Donald Trump has been rapidly consolidating power and cowing his opponents into submission even before he's officially sworn in on January 20. Now he's threatening to remove one House Republican for publicly going against him.

In a post to his Truth Social account on Thursday, Trump assailed Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) for refusing to go along with his call to abolish the debt ceiling. He referred to Roy as "just another ambitious guy, with no talent," and referenced former Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) who was ousted after a Trump-endorsed challenger defeated him in a hard-fought primary race.

"The very unpopular 'Congressman' from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory - All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself," Trump wrote. "Republican obstructionists have to be done away with... Weak and ineffective people like Chip have to be dismissed as being utterly unknowledgeable as to the ways of politics, and as to Making America Great Again."

"I hope some talented challengers are getting ready in the Great State of Texas to go after Chip in the Primary," Trump added in a subsequent post. "He won’t have a chance!"

NBC News reported that the president-elect promised to "lead the charge" to get rid of the debt ceiling altogether, which Democrats have called for in previous spending bills. The debt ceiling has been in place since 1917, and Congress has had to raise it periodically in order to be able to continue keeping the federal government current on its debt service obligations. Failing to raise it could jeopardize the global economy, as multiple governments and institutional investors park their wealth in the form of U.S. Treasury securities.

Roy's position — which he stated in a post to his X account — was that he wouldn't vote to "raise or suspend the debt ceiling (racking up more debt) without significant & real spending cuts attached to it." Roy mentioned the official handles for Trump as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Senate Majority Leader-elect John Thune (R-S.D.) and the far-right House Freedom Caucus, of which Roy is a member.

House Republicans have reportedly come back to the table to assemble a spending bill that would keep the government funded for several more months, and would raise the debt ceiling through 2027. Trump endorsed the package on Truth Social, though Roy has promised to oppose it.

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