Trump is threatening to primary Republican senators with Elon Musk’s money if they vote against his attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz.
ABC News reported:
Well, Trump has been working the phones. He’s been upping the pressure on Senate Republicans, even calling some of them directly. This is as JD Vance is also making the pitch. He was up on Capitol Hill with Matt Gaetz yesterday, meeting with some of those Senate Republicans. And we’re told by a Trump official That those meetings were productive, but we’re also told that behind the scenes, the Trump team has been playing hardball and they’ve been giving an ominous warning to any Senate Republicans who might oppose his nominees.
One Trump advisor telling our John Karl that the message is, quote, if you are on the wrong side of the vote, you’re buying yourself a primary. That is all. And there’s a guy named Elon Musk who is going to finance it. The Trump advisor added the president gets to decide his cabinet. No one else.
Video:
ABC News reports that the Trump team issued this warning to Republican senators considering a vote against Matt Gaetz:â
âIf you are on the wrong side of the vote, youâre buying yourself a primary. That is all. And thereâs a guy named Elon Musk who is going to finance it” pic.twitter.com/d1T3KbYAXr
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) November 21, 2024
This fight isn’t about Matt Gaetz. It’s about power. Trump is trying to break Senate Republicans and force them to give up their constitutional powers to him. Senate Republicans are refusing to give up their power, so Trump has already escalated to threats of primaries.
The problem is that incumbent senators rarely lose, and it is more rare that they lose a primary. The primary threat works well in the House, but it is not as effective in the Senate. Plus, the next election is not until 2026, and Trump will be gone by 2028, so time is on the side of Senate Republicans.
The idea that the president is the only person who gets to decide his cabinet is not correct. Trump is trying to use threats and Elon Musk’s money to rewrite the Constitution, and Matt Gaetz is his test case.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association