Trump 'running into a brick wall' as GOP refuses to cave to key demand: report

In his efforts to pass his voting restrictions bill the SAVE Act, President Donald Trump has ramped up calls for Republicans to amend the Senate’s rules, but has largely been rebuked and issued a “reality” check by members of his own party.

“President Donald Trump’s nonstop lobbying of Senate Republicans to weaken the Senate’s institutional powers is running into a brick wall,” Punchbowl News wrote Friday in its report. “There are signs that this reality – even Trump has limits in dealing with the ‘World’s Greatest Deliberative Body’ – may finally be settling in at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”

The SAVE Act, which critics have described as a form of “voter suppression,” has gone on to become one of Trump’s top priorities during his second year back in the White House. However, the bill would require at least 60 votes to pass in the Senate to overcome the chamber’s filibuster, a Senate rule that allows members to block a bill that receives less than 60 votes.

As such, Trump has pushed Senate Republicans to scrap the filibuster, but his efforts have so far drawn little support from within his own party.

“My job, obviously, is to define reality. And the reality is that it’s not even a close call,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Punchbowl News when asked about the chances of nuking the filibuster, noting that the support simply wasn’t there.

“It’s not a handful of three or four Republicans in the Senate [that are opposed to eliminating the filibuster],” Thune told Punchbowl News. “It is a large number of Senate Republicans who feel very strongly about the filibuster, its role in our democracy, and the role it plays in giving a voice to the minority.”