Dem
47
GOP
53
While we are on the subject of Donald Trump changing his mind on a whim (and then passing the buck with any fallout), he did it regularly in Trump v1.0, on many topics, including immigration, entitlement programs, health care, LGBT rights, and more. He trashed bills that he asked for and attacked representatives who voted for them. More recently, he has flip-flopped on the TikTok ban, marijuana, vaping, crypto, and SALT.
All of this has put members of Congress in a bind. If he announces a plan and they go public saying how wise and brilliant the plan is, he could change his mind in a flash and then throw them under the bus for supporting yesterday's plan, which he changed because the last person he talked to didn't like it. One senior Republican said: "The puppies who've not been around him are in a state of glow; the senior members are in intestinal knots, waiting to see what happens. Because you don't know what he's going to do." On the other hand, incoming Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt knows exactly what he will do: "He wants to ensure all of these policies that help all Americans are done as quickly as possible to undo all of the damage from the last 4 years." Right. That should give all the members of Congress clear guidance on what to do.
The consequence of all this is that the puppies will jump up and down and wag their tails every time Trump announces something. The old folks will keep quiet and wait to see how things develop. After the puppies have experienced how Trump actually operates, they may become more cautious, as well. The trouble with this approach is that on controversial issues, it is necessary to get the public behind Trump's plans and if many members of the House and Senate adopt a wait-and-see attitude toward everything, it may be difficult to build a groundswell in favor of whatever it is that Trump wants. (V)