An estimated eight million people reportedly turned out on Saturday for “No Kings” protests. Many of the more than 3,300 protests looked the same: crowds largely made up of elderly white leftists holding signs accusing President Donald Trump of being a “dictator” or “tyrant” or, as might be guessed, a “king.”
On social media there’s no shortage of Republicans mocking the protests — and with good reason. But however stupid the message of the “No Kings” protests, the left nonetheless managed to mobilize millions of people, including current and future voters.
So what did Republicans do this weekend to mobilize millions of voters ahead of November?
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was enjoying lunch at Disney World. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., was reportedly at Denver Airport in Colorado on Friday, while photos emerged of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., hightailing it out of the nation’s capital despite the work Republicans should be doing to mobilize the base (including simply ending the partial DHS shutdown).
At a moment when the opposition seems pretty energized, it’s hard to ignore that Republicans don’t seem to match the urgency.
Republicans — with a majority in both chambers of Congress — have yet to get the SAVE America Act to Trump’s desk. The legislation would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID to cast a vote in federal elections. Both items are popular standalone items across party lines. Yet Thune has come up with excuse after excuse, talking like he wants to pass the legislation while failing to take the measures necessary to do so. Thune refuses to use a talking filibuster to pass the legislation, which would require no rule changes. Instead, GOP senators are now exploring alternative options like reconciliation, despite the odds stacked against such a procedural move.
Republicans are also “scaling back” their “asylum crackdown,” CBS News reported. The Trump administration “has decided to lift the asylum adjudication pause for most cases” except those on the president’s travel ban list, according to the report. The department confirmed to CBS News the “move allows resources to focus on continued rigorous national security and public safety vetting for higher-risk cases.” While officials frame the move as merely reallocating resources, it risks leaving voters with the impression that enforcement operations are winding down instead of ratcheting up.
At the same time, the Republican-controlled Senate has failed to confirm more than 50 Trump-appointed nominees, as reported by The Federalist’s Jordan Boyd. Add in rising gas prices amid an ongoing war, and the result is a political environment where voters are likely to feel less than enthusiastic about heading to the polls.
As The Federalist’s Eddie Scarry pointed out, “The good news is that it’s not too late. The midterms are still eight months from now, and all it takes is a little focus and the will to push Trump’s team and Republicans in Congress to do the work.”
The question is whether they will.
Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2
