Democrats needle GOP on standing up to Trump

Democrats say that when it comes to Republicans in Congress standing up to President Trump, they’ll believe it when they see it. 

The latest test is on trade, where GOP senators have expressed open hostility to Trump’s plan to impose escalating tariffs on imports from Mexico. 

Democrats are needling their GOP colleagues to do more than complain about it, saying they are doubtful that the GOP will take concrete steps to block the president.

{mosads}“I’m hopeful, but I’m also skeptical. If past is prologue, my Republican friends will ultimately back down,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday, adding that he hoped “they will actually stand up to him.”

The internal GOP strife is an opportunity for Democrats, who hope to capitalize on what they say is a Republican inability to stand up to Trump, even on issues such as trade that have been core to the GOP for decades.

In next year’s elections, they are likely to cast every Republican running for office in the House and Senate as a loyal foot soldier to Trump, highlighting the party’s reluctance to take the president on.

“I’m sure they’ll lay down and let him walk over them,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), who serves on the House Ways and Means subcommittee that covers trade.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), whose state counts Mexico as its largest trade partner, noted that trade was among the key areas of disagreement between the president and his party, but expressed similar skepticism of the GOP.

“If they’re having an epiphany they should run it all the way through. It would be a first,” he said.

But he did say that the issue of trade seemed to resonate with Republicans. 

“Of all the indignities that this president has done, this seems to be the one that has stimulated them to say something out loud and pretend they’re going to do something to reel him back,” he added.

A senior Democratic aide said that when it comes to standing up to Trump, “Republican talk is cheap.”

There are reasons why Republicans are loathe to challenge Trump that go beyond mere fealty to the president.

Trump has been a force in GOP primaries, and anyone challenging him on a major issue knows that in doing so, they risk giving a primary opponent momentum.

Former Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) lost his seat in a primary after criticizing the president, while Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), another Trump critic, retired after seeing his chances of winning his primary upended. 

Both were ultimately replaced by Democrats.

Republicans such as Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio) said that if the tariffs go through on Monday, he expects a vote to block it. This would likely be done in the form of a disapproval resolution.

But Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a vocal opponent of the tariffs, predicted Congress would not have the votes to override a Trump veto.  

“I don’t think there’s a possibility for a veto override,” he said.

Congress has failed to override Trump’s veto on other disputed areas, such as a rebuke of his use of emergency power to reprogram funds for his proposed border wall and a bill blocking support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen’s civil war.

There has been some talk that the Senate could get 67 votes to overturn a Trump veto on something related to the tariffs on Mexico.

But doing so would be much tougher in the House, where Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) offered support for Trump’s efforts and criticism of those complaining about the tariffs. McCarthy said such criticism was undercutting Trump’s position with the Mexican government.

“End of the day, we should support the president so we can get an agreement so we don’t have tariffs,” McCarthy said. “Them talking about not supporting him undercuts his ability to do that.”

Trump’s emergence as the GOP presidential nominee caused some Republicans to essentially leave the party and created a universe of “Never Trumpers.”

These voices have often criticized congressional Republicans for betraying conservative principles to stand with Trump. Conservative pundit George Will said the GOP had become “a cult” for Trump.

“Conservatives said we’re for free trade. Trump said, ‘By the way, you’re not anymore.’ And they said, ‘OK, we’re not for free trade anymore,’ ” he told MSNBC.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has expressed hope that Trump will back off his threat following meetings with Mexican officials.

“Most of us hope that this Mexican delegation that’s come up here and discussed the challenges at the border — and what the Mexicans might be able to do to help us more than they have — will be fruitful and that these tariffs will not kick in,” he said Tuesday.

Indeed, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told CNN Wednesday that the “tariffs may not have to go into effect precisely because we have the Mexicans’ attention.” 

McConnell is pushing for a behind-the-scenes solution, which would give his caucus a reprieve. 

“There is not much support in my conference for tariffs, that’s for sure,” he said.