The president has a working formula for Senate Republicans who slow him down: persuade the ones he can, ignore the ones he must, bully the rest. With one week before the August recess, the formula is producing drama far faster than it is producing votes on the legislation he actually wants.
The mechanics of each approach
White House deputies arrived at the Senate Republican lunch on Wednesday to argue in person for a third reconciliation bill that would include elements of the SAVE Act. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles followed them in for a separate huddle with GOP leaders. Last month, when the Senate voted to rebuke Trump over the Iran conflict, the White House worked wavering Republicans hard enough to flip their votes.
The ignore play surfaced Thursday. Trump posted on Truth Social that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche needs no Senate confirmation and can serve in the acting role indefinitely. Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have blocked Blanche's formal nomination. Both leave the Senate in January, which gives Trump a reason to wait them out.
Bullying opened the week. Trump demanded Majority Leader John Thune scrap the filibuster and pass the SAVE Act, writing: "Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!" By Wednesday he was publicly questioning whether Thune should remain majority leader at all. Thune told Politico that Trump "thinks I can wave the magic wand," and added: "I wish it were that easy."
The counterargument: the nomination pace is real
The case for Trump's Senate strategy is easier to make on nominees than on bills. Jay Clayton's confirmation as director of national intelligence brought the Senate's confirmed total to 515, with 74 more pending. That is a faster pace than Trump's first administration. A handful of civilian nominations remain on the Executive Calendar, and Trump can now place many of those nominees in acting roles without Senate consent.
What's changed heading into recess
The risk is that bullying is producing resistance rather than compliance. Cornyn and Tillis are holding on Blanche. The MAGA base remains angry about the SAVE Act. New polls show Americans continuing to sour on the Republican Party. Crypto legislation and the National Defense Authorization Act are both stalled. One Republican senator told Axios: "When crazy becomes the norm, it feels pretty routine."
On balance, acting appointments give Trump a genuine workaround on personnel. Legislation has no equivalent bypass. He needs 50 votes on most measures and 60 on others, and with one week left before recess, the SAVE Act and the crypto bills have neither.