Update: Trump Tells Schumer to 'Go to Hell,' As Senate Nominee 'Deal' Blows Up

RedState 

Earlier on Saturday, it was revealed that Senate Republicans and Democrats were trying to formulate a deal to push through some of President Donald Trump's nominees. That came after Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) gave a speech on the Senate floor threatening to use the Harry Reid precedent to remove hurdles like two-hour debates and cloture votes. 

The major issue stems from Democrats taking the unprecedented step of refusing to confirm any of Trump's nominees by voice vote or unanimous consent. By comparison, Joe Biden had 57 percent of his passed through those processes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has claimed Trump's nominees are so terrible and unqualified that his obstruction is justified, despite it breaking normal protocol. 

As to the deal in question, it was heavily slanted toward Democrats, approving only a "small tranche" of the around 150 nominees waiting in exchange for billions in spending for left-wing priorities and empty promises. 

Trump apparently felt the same way. In a scathing post on Saturday evening, he told Senate Republicans to reject the deal and to tell Schumer to "go to hell." He further accused the Democrats of "extortion." 

In a lengthy post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of "demanding over One Billion Dollars in order to approve a small number of our highly qualified nominees."

"This demand is egregious and unprecedented, and would be embarrassing to the Republican Party if it were accepted. It is political extortion, by any other name," Trump said. "Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL!"

"Do not accept the offer," he continued. "Go home and explain to your constituents what bad people the Democrats are, and what a great job the Republicans are doing, and have done, for our Country. Have a great RECESS and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"

In my prior write-up, I urged Republicans to reject the deal because it would be a willful surrender of power to an opposing party that doesn't really have any leverage. What's the point of winning elections if Democrats still get to dictate the majority of what passes and doesn't? In this case, they've repeatedly spit on tradition to ram through far-left nominees, and they will absolutely do it again the moment they regain power. So what's even being preserved by giving in to them? 

Trump made the right call to step in here and not let Senate Republicans screw this up. Whether they would have otherwise agreed to this deal, I don't know, but it's best not left up in the air. What the president did was give them permission to recess without feeling pressure from the administration. Does it cost another month regarding these nominations? Yes, but if Republicans come back and do what Cotton threatened, then things can start to move at a brisk pace. That's far preferable to accepting the ridiculous deal that was on the table.