Trump presses GOP senators to ‘terminate the filibuster' at White House breakfast

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on the morning of Wednesday, November 5, renewed his push for Senate Republicans to eliminate the legislative filibuster, warning that failure to act would leave the party powerless to advance its agenda.

Speaking at a breakfast for Republican senators at the White House, Trump bluntly said that the 60-vote requirement to move legislation forward must end if the GOP hopes to govern effectively during his second term.

“It’s time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that’s terminate the filibuster,” Trump told lawmakers. “If you don’t terminate the filibuster, you’ll be in bad shape.”

Trump says Democrats will ‘do it the first day’ if they had power

Trump argued that Democrats would not hesitate to end the rule if they returned to power, and accused them of plotting sweeping structural changes to consolidate control.

“They do it the first day,” he warned. "They’re going to pack the court, they’re going to make DC a state, and they’re going to make Puerto Rico a state."

"So now, they pick up two states, they pick up four senators. They’re going to do all of the things. They’re going to pick up electoral votes. It’s going to be a very, very bad situation,” he claimed.

While most Senate Republicans reportedly have resisted calls to end the filibuster, Trump insisted that the party risks paralysis if it refuses to act.

“Without it, we can’t pass any legislation for the next three years,” he said. “Democrats will never let us move anything. If we do it now, we’ll make the country stronger than ever.”

Trump called on lawmakers to open the government.

"Extensions have always been granted, but this time Democrats refused. If they won’t extend, they won’t pass anything. We should act, open the country tonight, and move forward," he said. 

He also listed the legislations that needed to be passed. He said, "We need to pass voter ID, ban mail-in voting, and secure our elections."

"Democrats oppose voter ID because they want to cheat. Even Jimmy Carter’s commission said mail-in ballots invite corruption," he added.

Trump says ‘we must get the government back open’

Trump also used the meeting to press for an end to the government shutdown, which he acknowledged was beginning to strain the economy. 

“We must get the government back open soon, really immediately,” he said

“Countless public servants aren’t being paid, air traffic controllers are under increasing strain, and it’s starting to affect the stock market,” the president explained.

He conceded that the shutdown may have contributed to the GOP’s disappointing showing in recent elections, calling the results “not good for Republicans” and “not good for anybody.”

Despite the political headwinds, Trump touted what he described as “the hottest economy we’ve ever had,” pointing to an alleged surge in construction, major auto investments, and the elimination of taxes on tips, overtime, and social security benefits.

“We’ve already passed the great, big beautiful bill, four years of reforms and tax cuts,” Trump said. “These are massive wins for workers and businesses,” he added.