President Donald Trump’s patience with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is “running out” as the SAVE America Act remains stalled in the Senate, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.
Speaking during a morning press briefing, Leavitt acknowledged growing frustration within the White House over the legislation’s lack of movement, emphasizing that Trump wants the Senate to advance as much of the election-related package as possible before lawmakers leave Washington for the August recess.
The comments came in response to a question from Daily Caller reporter Reagan Reese, who asked whether the president’s patience with Thune was beginning to wear thin.
“His patience is running out,” Leavitt replied.
She said Trump has made passage of the SAVE America Act a priority and believes voters expect congressional Republicans to deliver on the legislation.
“He wants to see as much of the SAVE America Act passed as possible by the August recess,” Leavitt said. “He knows that’s what the American people want to see passed.”
Leavitt pointed to Trump’s recent public appearances as evidence of support for the legislation, saying the president had discussed the issue while traveling the previous day and received a strong response from those in attendance.
“He was just traveling on the road yesterday, spoke about this, and there was a very loud applause from the people in the audience, the everyday Americans, because voter ID is common sense,” Leavitt said. “They want proof of citizenship in our elections, and the president feels very strongly about that.”
The SAVE America Act includes a series of election-related measures affecting areas such as voter identification and mail-in voting.
Leavitt also argued that Republicans were elected with a mandate to enact the administration’s agenda, noting that the House has already taken action on the legislation.
“The American people elected overwhelmingly Republicans to not just this White House, but also the House and the Senate,” she said. “The House did its job, the Senate needs to do its job too.”
Her comments placed additional pressure on Senate Republicans as negotiations over the measure continue.
Thune responded to Leavitt’s remarks later Thursday, pushing back on the suggestion that Senate Republicans alone were responsible for the legislation’s lack of progress.
According to Politico, the Senate majority leader argued that the White House could do more to help secure the votes needed for passage.
“Well maybe [Leavitt] or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes, right?” Thune said.
He pointed to the Senate’s narrow margins and suggested the administration should focus its efforts on persuading lawmakers whose support remains uncertain.
“It’s 50 around here,” Thune said. “And so instead of, you know, pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats, and if there are Republicans that they think are gettable, get on the phone.”
The exchange highlighted growing tensions between the White House and Senate leadership as the administration pushes to advance the SAVE America Act before Congress breaks for its August recess.
While Trump continues to press for action on the legislation, Senate leaders face the challenge of assembling the votes necessary to move the measure forward, with both the White House and congressional Republicans publicly weighing in on where responsibility for the delay lies.
