It seems that Donald Trump is not one for New Year’s resolutions.
As the year draws to a close, rather than reflecting inward, he is using the last hours of 2024 to attack the legislators he previously labeled as “the enemy within” in a quintessentially Trump-like diatribe.
“We just secured a Historic Landslide and Mandate from the American People, yet Senate Democrats are conspiring to inappropriately slow and obstruct the confirmation process of many of our Outstanding Nominees,” he posted on his social media site Truth Social on Tuesday. “They will employ various tactics starting very soon. Republicans must not permit that to happen.”
Trump’s win was certainly significant, with Republicans capturing all three branches of government, and unprecedented since a convicted felon had never previously been elected as president.
However, it was not a complete landslide. Trump garnered 312 Electoral College votes, just six more than President Joe Biden’s tally in 2020. Additionally, he only claimed the popular vote by a margin of 1.5 percent, contrasting with Biden’s 4.5 percent margin in 2020 (albeit under dubious and highly suspicious circumstances).
Whether it qualifies as a landslide or not, the Senate has a constitutional role to provide advice and consent regarding Cabinet nominees and other top governmental appointments.
Some of Trump’s selections have sparked such controversy that members of his own party are doubtful about certain appointments.
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom Trump has selected to manage national intelligence, Kash Patel, his nominee for leading the FBI, and Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice for defense secretary, are all reportedly facing significant challenges due to some GOP senators’ hesitance.
Nevertheless, most of Trump’s frustration was directed at Democrats, possibly because last week Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated that his party had been intensely committed to confirming an unprecedented number of federal judges to establish a defense against Trump’s plans.
Still, he also conveyed a message to his own party.
“We have a Nation to govern, and numerous significant issues to address, largely caused by Democrats. REPUBLICANS, BE WISE AND RESILIENT!!!” Trump wrote on Tuesday.
