South Korean media: Republican legislators resist the party's stance on abolishing ObamaCare... "Trump's dam is collapsing"
¬ Facing a 'lame duck' crisis within less than 1 year in office
President of the United States Donald Trump has faced a 'lame duck' (power leakage) crisis just 11 months after taking office. Republican lawmakers have continuously voted against the core policies of the Trump administration, while his approval ratings have continued to decline. Even someone known as Trump's "female guardian warrior" admitted: "The dam is collapsing," acknowledging that the lame duck situation has already emerged. The high level of crisis pressure forced Trump to hold a late-night live speech to the nation, boasting about his government achievements. However, whether self-praise can break through the leadership crisis remains unknown.
At 9 p.m. on the 17th, Trump delivered a 20-minute speech to the nation at the White House, listing the government achievements over the past 11 months. He said, "I inherited a mess and am fixing it, achieving changes no one dared to imagine."
He specifically mentioned one of his important achievements, the tariff policy, saying: "Thanks to the tariffs, we have attracted the largest scale of 18 trillion U.S. dollars (about 2 quadrillion 658.6 trillion South Korean won) investment." He also claimed: "The prices of cars and hotels that soared under the Biden administration are rapidly declining. Thanksgiving turkey prices have dropped by 33%, and egg prices have fallen by as much as 82%." In response, American media pointed out that Trump only mentioned temporary statistics that were favorable to himself.
He also announced a cash distribution plan for the people to turn the situation around. He said that next spring, he would implement the largest tax refund in history, and also distribute $1,776 (about 262 million South Korean won) "warrior dividends" to 1.45 million soldiers. A significant portion of the dividend funds will be funded by tariff revenues. He stated: "We are ready to welcome an unprecedented economic prosperity around the world."
But tragically, Trump's "magnificent speech" highlights his severe leadership crisis. According to a public opinion survey released by PBS TV on the same day, Trump's economic policy support rate has reached a new low during both terms of his presidency, at only 36%. Mainstream analysis suggests that unlike Trump's claim of "price reduction", the high prices and living costs are forcing the people to abandon Trump.
In addition, the number of Republican lawmakers opposing Trump is increasing continuously. On the same day in the U.S. House of Representatives, four Republican independent lawmakers, including Brian Fitzpatrick (Pennsylvania), staged a confrontation with the party leadership's strategy, a "downward rebellion". They signed a "discharge petition", aiming to extend the subsidies of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, ObamaCare) which expires at the end of the year by another three years. The so-called "discharge petition" refers to bypassing the committee discussions and directly submitting it to formal meetings for voting, equivalent to Republican lawmakers ignoring the party command system formed between the White House and the Speaker of the House.
Especially, canceling the subsidies for ObamaCare was the core agenda that the Trump administration was determined to implement, even if it meant shutting down the federal government for 43 days. Among the four rebel lawmakers, three come from the biggest battleground states in the previous presidential election - Pennsylvania. They were worried that the sharp rise in medical insurance premiums might cause public backlash in the upcoming midterm elections, so they chose to prioritize the "wallets of voters" over "loyalty to Trump". The New York Times commented: "This is a decisive moment revealing that the Republican leadership has lost control within the party."
There was also a rebellion on the 10th. Thirteen Republican representatives defected to the Democrats, voting in favor of a vote aimed at abolishing Trump's executive order to strengthen the power to dismiss civil servants. In other words, members of the ruling party organizedly prevented Trump's attempt to control the bureaucratic society. On the 11th, Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee of the Republican Party, rejected a report by the Department of Defense to punish Trump's opponent - Democratic Senator Leader Mark Kelly, stating that "there is no basis for punishment."
Movements against Trump have also appeared in local legislatures and the military. On the 11th, Republican senators in the Indiana legislature refused Trump's request to "redraw electoral districts." On the same day, General Gregory G. Giorno, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, explained his position before Congress regarding Trump's statement that "the army may be mobilized to suppress radical leftists and other 'internal enemies'," stating: "We will refuse any improper instructions due to political reasons."
In this situation, key figures of the pro-Trump (MAGA) movement, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, diagnosed on the 16th during an interview with CNN: "The dam is collapsing," "The lame duck season has begun." She pointed out: "The 13 Republican representatives who overturned Trump's executive order last week were still calm enough to wear tuxedos and attend the (Trump-hosted) White House Christmas party that night," indicating that "this is evidence that they no longer fear the president." In response, U.S. media analyzed: "The validity period of Trump's 'terrorist rule' is about to end."
Source: Chosun Ilbo
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852081951383560/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.