CIVIL WAR ERUPTS as Trump attacks his OWN party

There is a civil war brewing within the. Republican Party. Donald Trump is now. threatening John Thune because the. Senate is supposed to go on August. recess. Trump doesn't want it to go on. recess because he is hell-bent on trying. to pass the Save America Act. Mark, I. have to ask as far as the Save America. Act is concerned, for first and. foremost, do you see any increased. likelihood of this bill actually passing. given the fact that this seems to be. Donald Trump's sole focus right now? >> I don't. And look, I hate to agree with. John Thune on anything. But John Thune.

keeps making the obvious point, which is. that he doesn't have the votes. Like he. doesn't have 60 votes to pass the Save. Act, which is what's required. He. doesn't currently have 50 votes to pass. the Save Act. Because, let's be clear, Mitch McConnell, wherever he is, doing. whatever he's doing, with whatever. photographs, is not in a position to be. in the US Senate to vote. And if you add. on top of that the fact that Lisa. Murkowski has said she doesn't support. the Save Act. Like they just don't have.

the votes necessary to pass it. And. what's remarkable about, as you say, this civil war is that John Thune, who. is a Republican, you know, loyalist. Donald Trump and a sycophant of Donald. Trump under normal circumstances, is. getting a bit of the the medicine. that he deserves. Because he's there. saying, "We can do basic math. I mean, after all, we only have to count to 100. I mean, we don't even have to count all. the way to 100. There's like, you know, we have to count to like a majority or. to 60.". >> Yeah.

>> And the math doesn't work. And yet not. only is Donald Trump beating up on him, but you've got House members, you know, the speaker and his his cronies beating. up on him. You've got Mike Lee, a. a Senate Republican, who he is saying. they shouldn't go on recess. And they. should insist on the Save Act being. passed. So this is like one big. humiliation for Donald Trump, coupled. with a big humiliation for John Thune. And they both deserve it. >> Uh. >> Look, I I think that as far as where.

Trump stands, that much is clear, but. Thune should know, and this should be a. caution. It should be a cautionary tale. It would be in a normal world, that this. is what happens when you don't tow the. line 100% and show undying loyalty to. the god king, that he will discard of. you the moment you lose your political. usefulness or don't adhere to him 100%. and it's happened over and over and over. again. And yet, the only thing worse. than these Republicans not recognizing. it is them recognizing it, but thinking. somehow they're special. Somehow it'll. never happen to them when it happens to.

each person who gets close to Donald. Trump and eventually gets thrown under. the bus. But, I have to ask here, since. Trump is using all of his political. capital to get the Save America Act. passed, he wouldn't sign his own housing. bill that he campaigned on and that. Republicans were prepared with some big. signing ceremony to get signed into law, also exploited the death of Lindsey. Graham. Basically came out the day after. Lindsey Graham died and said, "Oh, you. know, the last thing he wanted was the. Save America Act passed. He told me with. his dying breaths that the one thing.

that would that he would cherish in the. afterlife would be getting the Save. America Act passed." Clearly, this is a. priority for him. So, why is the Save. America Act so important for Trump that. he would come out and say, just a couple. of weeks back, that it will mean that. Republicans would not lose another. election for 100 years? >> Yeah, so I think we need to separate out. two motives that Donald Trump has here. The first is on the merits. Donald Trump. believes, and in this I agree with him, that the Save America Act would. disenfranchise a ton of lawful.

Democratic votes. Right? I mean, in order to meet the. proof of citizenship requirement under. the Save Act, you would need to either present a valid. US passport or a original birth. certificate. The population of people who have. passports. is not that big. It's about half the. country has passports, and it turns out. that black Americans in particular have. lower rates of holding passports than. whites. So, right off the bat, Donald.

Trump sees an opportunity to decrease. black voter participation. >> Right. >> But, the real population that would be. targeted, the real oomph and impact that. the that the proof of citizenship act. requirements would have would be on. women who change their last name when. they're married. Now, I know a lot of. people are thinking, they're saying, "But, aren't Republican women more. likely to change their last name than. men?" I'm sure. aren't Republican women more likely to. change their last name than Democratic. women? Maybe, but 70% of married women.

have changed their last name. And what. we know is that women are much more. Democratic than men, right? That gender. gap is pretty wide between women and. men, and that Democrats are more likely. to, you know, vote by mail, uh, and rely on types of voting where. proving citizenship and providing ID is. just a lot more complicated, okay? And. so, that is why Donald Trump thinks that.

it benefits him from a practical, uh, level. But, the second reason why Donald. Trump supports the Save America Act is. because he knows that it's not going to. pass. Like, people in the White House, they're not smart. Donald Trump's not. smart, but they too can do basic math. And he is setting this up as a. permission structure as an excuse right. now. for when Republicans lose control of the. House and the Senate, he wants to be. able to point back to the fact that the. Save America Act wasn't passed as an.

excuse for what he will do to try to. subvert the election, uh, afterwards. >> And so, what do you think that would. look like? If the Save America Act, if. and when the Save America Act doesn't. get passed because Trump doesn't have. the votes, and frankly, even if he did. have the votes, there's no time to. implement any of these sweeping changes. that he. >> another problem. >> Right. [clears throat] What what what. does what does the next iteration of. this plan What does him saying Save. America Act didn't pass Look at all of. the fraud that resulted in Democrats.

winning these elections wrought and so. what's next for him? >> Yeah, look. I think this is the right. question and and I point people Brian, you and I have done now more than 500. episodes of Democracy Watch. We have. called out what Donald Trump will do not. only in the 2026 election, but we. actually talked about it because we've. been doing this for so long in prior. elections and I recommend people go back. and look at those videos and also to. subscribe to this channel because we're. going to talk about this in real time as. it starts to develop. But let me tell. you as today.

what I think he has in mind. I think. that Donald Trump will try to suppress. voting rights in advance of the. election, Save Act being a part of that. I think he will try to inconvenience. Democratic populations, people who live. in cities, black voters, women, college students. He'll try to. make it just more unpleasant and more. difficult for them to vote cutting back. on early voting, maybe deploying ICE, maybe closing road roads, you know, having the US Postal Service make it.

harder to vote by mail. Right, that's. the second part. But then the third part. and this is what I describe as this. excuse or permission structure is after. they lose he will try to argue against. the certification of Democrats who won. as the winners. He will argue that this. was the product of fraud, that you can't. trust the outcome of the elections. Now, whether he just does that rhetorically, whether he does it in court, or whether. in addition to those two things, which. for sure he will do, he. tries to go to extra legal measures like.

we saw on January 6th, or whether he tries to have the. Department of Justice seize ballot boxes. or voting equipment, we're going to wait. and see, but we need need be prepared. for that eventuality. I can promise you. as a lawyer, it's something I think. about and prepare for every single day. It's something on this channel we cover. regularly. Again, another reason to. subscribe. And it's something we all. need to be, you know, thinking about and. preparing for ourselves. >> And and I would also add, um, in addition to subscribing to this.

channel, for folks who have not yet. subscribed to Democracy Docket, that's. the news outlet Mark founded focus on. everything legal, voting rights, democracy. That is the outlet that I use. on a daily basis to cover to to to learn. about all of these things that are. happening right now. It's also a great. way to show some support for Mark's. work. So, if you're not yet subscribed. to Democracy Docket, I'm going to put. the link right here on the screen and. also in the post description of this. video. Make sure to hit subscribe so. that you're kept up to date on a daily. basis. Mark, I have to ask this question. because this is a question that I get a. lot. I'm sure that you get this same.

question on a daily basis, but as we're. talking about the lead up to elections, a question that I'm contending with so. often is, are we going to have free and. fair elections? Are we going to have. elections moving forward? And so, what. is your response to those people who. have concern that elections won't even. take place given the fact that Trump is. so hell-bent on on interfering? >> Yeah, so we're going to have elections, right? Donald Trump can't cancel. elections. They're run by the states, not run by the federal government. He. doesn't have that authority. How free. and fair they are, well, that's, you. know, to be determined, right? They they.

they're going to be elections, but there. are a lot of things Donald Trump can do. to undermine how free and fair they are. That's one of the reasons why my law. firm and I were litigating more than 80. cases in 43. already, like this far out from the. election. It's the reason why Brian, you. and I do these videos is to try to sound. the alarm so that people take action. You know, when you interview a prominent. Democratic elected officials, you ask. them about this. And in fact, you, you. know, kudos to you, you have confronted. them. You know, you confronted the the. governor of of.

of Colorado. You confronted the the. or at at spoke out very loudly about the. about the legislator in in Maryland who. you know was blocking redistricting. So. So like there's a public there's a. public. component to this. And then obviously we are going to need. the states and the courts state election. officials and the courts to do the right. thing. And that is all of those things. will go into this question of whether we. have free and fair elections. The one. group we are not going to be able to.

rely on though to bring this back to. where you started are going to be. Republicans. You know I I. I'm I'm I'm I'm annoyed. I was going to. say entertained but I'm not entertained. I'm annoyed watching the legacy media. talk about how well you know Todd. Blanche is hearing this and some. Republicans are ringing their hands that. he needs to certify. this or that or put in writing that the. slush fund is dead. And and look here's. the thing if you're looking for. Republicans in the Senate to do the.

right thing you are looking in the wrong. place. Right? Democracy is not going to. be saved by any member of the Senate. conference in the. Republicans or anyone you know in Mike. Johnson's orbit. It's not going to be. saved by anyone in the White House. It's. not going to be protected frankly by. Republican governors. It is going to be. the Democrats. It is going to be civil. society groups. It's going to be lawyers. like me. It's going to be people like. Brian speaking out. And we need to get. out of our head that somehow John Thune.

is going to be a hero. Here John Thune's. not. opposing the Save America Act. Susan. Collins came out and supported the Save. America Act. You know like the what. what's going to save us is math. and the willingness of a lot of. Democrats and a lot of pro-voter and. pro-democracy organizations stepping up. and doing the right thing. >> Yeah and again chief among them is the. work that you and your team are doing in. the courts right now which is going to. only become more important more. significant as the Trump administration. the DOJ and these Republican states.

continue uh to attack voting rights in. the courts in the lead-up to midterms. So, I'm going to put the link to. Democracy Docket right here on the. screen. If you're not yet subscribed, please make sure to subscribe. And to. see more episodes of Democracy Watch. between Mark and I, you can click on the. link to subscribe to this channel as. well. I'm Brian Tyler Cohen. >> I'm Mark Elias. >> This is Democracy Watch. >> [music].