Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Slams Trump for Endangering GOP’s Senate Control With $2,000 Stimulus Push
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The Wall Street Journal editorial board accused President Donald Trump of undermining Republican efforts to hold the U.S. Senate thanks to his 11th-hour push for $2,000 stimulus checks.
The board published an op-ed that examines how Trump called for $2,000 checks after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spent weeks negotiating for the $600 checks that were initially agreed upon in the coronavirus relief package Trump signed. While the editorial board raises concerns about how much the federal debt would increase from that many $2,000 checks, their primary complaint is that Trump gave Democrats “a big assist” by forcing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell into a politically damaging situation that will spill out into the Georgia Senate runoffs.
“Senate Republicans oppose the $2,000 for these sound reasons, but Mr. Trump has put them in a political spot,” the piece says. “Democrats immediately joined Mr. Trump’s call for the $2,000, and on Monday they passed the larger amount through the House, 275-134.”
The paper explains that McConnell’s dilemma is that opposing Trump’s $2,000 proposal will give Democrats more ammunition in their effort to defeat Georgia’s Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. By contrast, McConnell saying yes to a vote will fracture Republicans and displease fiscal conservatives.
“Either way, it amounts to a Donald Trump in-kind contribution to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden,” the board says. “Mr. Trump’s narcissism isn’t news. But if Republicans lose the two Georgia seats and their majority, Republicans across the country should know to thank Mr. Trump for their 2021 tax increase.”
The WSJ’s denouncement comes a day after New York Post, another paper owned by Rupert Murdoch, bashed the president’s “cheering for an undemocratic coup” with his hope of overturning the 2020 election results. The editorial board previously urged Trump to admit defeat as well.
