TRUMP DRAWS THE LINE: RAPID-FIRE VETOES ON DEMOCRAT BILLS UNTIL THEY COME TO THE TABLE FOR REAL DEALS
President Trump made it clear in his exclusive White House interview with Stephen A. Smith that he is not interested in rubber-stamping whatever Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer try to ram through after the midterms. He is ready to use the veto pen hard and often.
“I’m going to be vetoing a lot of things that they’re going to send me initially that are bad for the country,” Trump said. “And I think eventually they’re going to call in, they’re going to say, let’s make a deal. And we’ll be able to make deals on healthcare, on drug prices.”
Democrats do not have a veto-proof majority. Overriding a veto takes 290 votes in the House and 67 in the Senate. If Republicans hold together, every veto sticks. That gives Trump the leverage to force negotiations instead of letting the other side dictate terms.
Trump also reminded viewers what he already delivered on drug prices. He took America from paying the highest prices in the world to the lowest by threatening tariffs on countries that refused to stop freeloading off American patients.
“I used tariffs on that, by the way,” Trump explained. “I said to companies and countries… you’re going to have to double and triple your drug prices because ours are ten times what they should be, and we’re not going to do it any longer… And I said, that’s okay, I’m going to charge your country massive tariffs until such time as you make that change. And every single one of them made the change.”
That same approach is on the table for healthcare. Trump said he is willing to work with Democrats on the issue because “we have terrible healthcare,” but only if they actually want better results for Americans instead of just scoring political points.
On immigration, he left the door open without making any commitments. “There are things that could be done with immigration that would be very positive,” he said, while noting he is not negotiating it now. The message is straightforward: come with serious proposals that improve the country, or watch the veto pen do its job.
This is the same playbook Trump used when Democrats controlled the House in his first term. Veto the bad bills. Force the conversation. Cut deals that actually help working Americans instead of expanding government control. With Stephen Miller as chief of staff, the White House is signaling it will not be a punching bag for the next two years. Democrats can pass what they want. It still has to clear the president’s desk.