Saturday was the first day after Christmas and the last day of extended unemployment benefits and eviction moratoriums. House Democrats passed a COVID relief bill in March that went unaddressed on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s desk until December, when senators finally reached an agreement to extend those benefits in a smaller way and $600 checks were planned to be sent out to the American people for relief. It wasn’t enough, but the president waited until the agreement had already been reached to demand that the direct payments be $2000. He knows, just like every American knows, that his own party is extremely unlikely agree to that.
$2000 + $2000 plus other family members. Not $600. Remember, it was China’s fault!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2020
Michigan AG Dana Nessel Pursues Sanctions Against Lawyers Questioning Election https://t.co/Hb5xckedoN via @BreitbartNews These lawyers are true patriots who are fighting for the truth and, obviously, getting very close. AG should be sanctioned. Fight on!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2020
Speaking for America! https://t.co/jowS1B9qqf
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2020
Increase payments to the people, get rid of the “pork”. https://t.co/jq82qFIyUs
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2020
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2020
On Saturday night, Donald Trump went on a Twitter bender, tweeting just once about the COVID relief package that could keep the economy afloat temporarily but then ranting for five more tweets and retweets about how the election was “stolen” from him. Clearly, his priorities are not the American people. As always, his priority is Donald Trump.
Why would Trump allow this to happen? He’s angry with Republicans who refuse to support his rhetoric about election fraud, so that’s definitely a motivation. He’s told his supporters that he won’t sign the bill that includes COVID relief because of “pork,” or provisions to provide funding for things that are not COVID-related. What he doesn’t tell them is that he’s signed the federal budget passed by Congress, which looked similar to this one except for the added stimulus checks to the people, for three prior years. This bill funds the government, and refusing to sign it could send an already flailing economy into a shutdown.
Just as the COVID response is entirely on Trump, which led to far worse outcomes than nearly any other country, so is the stimulus bill. If he wanted higher direct payments, he had months to say so. Now, it’s likely that a country already dealing with the worst pandemic since 1918 will also face a government shutdown. Trump’s priority, however, is lashing out over an election he clearly lost.
Twitter wasn’t buying into the rhetoric. Read some of their comments below:
