Trump unloads on Democrats over voter ID: ‘More bullsh– than any human beings on the planet’
BS BULLETIN:
- President Donald Trump used his keynote address at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas to renew his push for voter identification requirements.
- Trump argued Democrats oppose voter ID because they “want to cheat,” then delivered one of the night’s most memorable lines about their explanations for opposing Republican proposals.
- Democrats dispute Trump’s accusation, arguing that measures such as the SAVE America Act could make it harder for eligible Americans to vote.
President Donald Trump wasn’t interested in diplomatic language when the subject turned to voter ID Wednesday night.
Speaking at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Trump renewed his push for tougher identification requirements at the polls and accused Democrats of inventing excuses to block them.
“The only reason they’re fighting us is because they wanna cheat,” Trump told the crowd. “There’s no other reason.”
Trump then mocked one argument against stricter voter identification requirements — that obtaining the necessary identification can be difficult for some voters.
His assessment of those objections was considerably less formal.
“They have more bullshit than any human beings on the planet,” Trump said.
The remark drew a strong response from the convention crowd and quickly became one of the more colorful sound bites from Trump’s lengthy opening-night address.
But the language was wrapped around a serious legislative fight.
Trump and congressional Republicans have been pressing for passage of the SAVE America Act, which would impose photo-identification requirements for federal voting and proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration. The White House has made voter ID a central part of its election-integrity agenda.
Democrats have opposed the Republican legislation, though their argument is not that voter identification should never exist. Critics contend that the proposed documentation requirements are overly restrictive and could prevent some eligible citizens from voting.
Trump isn’t buying that explanation.
Earlier this year, he said voter ID requirements should be in place for the midterms “whether approved by Congress or not” and threatened to pursue an executive order if lawmakers failed to act.
Wednesday night, Trump returned to the issue as part of a much broader pitch for voters to preserve Republican control of Congress in November.
The president told supporters to effectively treat the midterms as though his own name were on the ballot, arguing that continued GOP control is necessary to advance his agenda.
And on voter ID, at least, nobody leaving the arena was likely to wonder what Trump thinks of the Democrats’ objections.
MY QUICK TAKE
Only Trump could turn a policy argument over voter identification into a line that practically writes its own headline.
Washington has produced thousands of pages arguing over election law. Trump needed about nine words.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Breitbart — Trump: Democrats blocking voter ID ‘have more bullsh– than any human beings on the planet’
- FOX 4 Dallas — Trump addresses Republican midterm convention on opening night
- Associated Press — Trump defends Iran war, slams Democrats and promises cash at Republican convention
- ABC News — Trump says he will issue executive order on voter ID if legislation fails
- White House — The SAVE America Act: Voter ID is popular with everyone
