Trump blasts Elizabeth MacDonough, Obama, Harry Reid, urges GOP to ‘get tough or lose everything’
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump erupted at Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough in a fiery post via Truth Social on Wednesday, May 20, accusing Republicans of allowing Democrats to maintain influence deep inside Washington’s power structure.
In a lengthy post, Trump slammed MacDonough’s continued role in the Senate, dragged former Democratic leaders Barack Obama and Harry Reid into the attack, and warned Republicans they risk political extinction unless they dramatically change strategy.
President Trump posts on TruthSocial: Shockingly, Republicans have kept the very important position of “Parliamentarian” in the hands of a woman, Elizabeth MacDonough, who was appointed, long ago, by Barack Hussein Obama and a vicious Lunatic known as Senator Harry Reid, who ran… pic.twitter.com/dsSxvrMfMg
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) May 20, 2026
Trump unloads on Elizabeth MacDonough
Trump questioned why Republicans have allowed MacDonough to remain Senate parliamentarian despite Democrats no longer controlling the chamber.
Calling her “brutal to Republicans,” Trump claimed the GOP continues to play politics too cautiously while Democrats aggressively use institutional power to their advantage.
“The Republicans play a very soft game compared to the Democrats,” Trump wrote. “It is their single biggest disadvantage in politics.”
The president then escalated further, claiming Democrats would eventually eliminate the filibuster, add Washington, DC and Puerto Rico as states, expand the Supreme Court, and permanently lock Republicans out of national power.
“If we don’t pass at least one of these two provisions quickly, you will never see another Republican President again,” Trump warned.
The outburst also included renewed demands to abolish the Senate filibuster and immediately pass the SAVE America Act, legislation backed by Trump allies that would impose stricter voter identification and proof-of-citizenship requirements in federal elections.
Trump argued Republicans are naive for believing Democrats would preserve Senate traditions if political control shifted.
“Get smart and tough Republicans, or you’ll all be looking for a job much sooner than you thought possible!” he wrote.
Trump builds pressure on GOP
The post comes amid an increasingly aggressive pressure campaign by Trump aimed at forcing congressional Republicans to move faster on election legislation.
Just days earlier, Trump publicly demanded that GOP lawmakers attach the SAVE America Act to major housing legislation and upcoming Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act negotiations already moving through Congress.
Rather than waiting for a standalone vote, Trump argued Republicans should use high-stakes legislative battles as leverage to force stricter election measures through the Senate.
“THE SAVE AMERICA ACT MUST BE PASSED, NOW,” Trump wrote over the weekend. “Use the Housing and FISA Bills to get it done!”
President Trump posts on TruthSocial: THE SAVE AMERICA ACT MUST BE PASSED, NOW.
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) May 16, 2026
Use the Housing and FISA Bills to get it done! Maryland just had 500,000 Fake Mail-In Ballots revealed. We cannot, as a Country, put up with this any longer!!! Voter I.D., and Proof of Citizenship,… pic.twitter.com/qm0VMH7PQ4
The strategy reflects Trump’s growing impatience with Republicans he believes are still operating under old Washington norms, while Democrats, in his view, aggressively consolidate institutional control.
MacDonough’s role has become increasingly sensitive because Senate parliamentarians hold enormous behind-the-scenes influence over what provisions can survive under reconciliation rules, often determining whether major legislation can pass with simple-majority votes.
Trump’s attack now places additional pressure on Senate Republicans already divided over how aggressively they should pursue procedural warfare heading into the 2026 election cycle.
