A couple of weeks before the 2018 midterm elections, Donald Trump, fearing significant GOP losses, made an announcement: He and congressional Republicans, the president said, were working “around the clock” on a “very major” bill to cut middle-class taxes. The legislation would be ready, he added, no later than Nov. 1 — five days before the midterms.
There was one important flaw with Trump’s plan: The bill didn’t exist. He’d simply made it up. In fact, the whole story was utterly bizarre: Lawmakers weren’t in session at the time; literally no one on Capitol Hill was working on the issue; and even White House officials were “mystified” by Trump’s claim.
But Trump apparently believed the issue would give his party a boost, so he lied, touting legislation that existed only in his imagination.
This comes to mind seven years later because the same thing appears to have happened this week. The New York Times reported:
President Trump said on Wednesday that Republican leaders in Congress were working with him on a ‘comprehensive crime bill,’ his latest effort to push the issue of crime to the foreground of American politics. In a social media post, Mr. Trump said Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, were among the Republicans working on the bill.
What would the “comprehensive crime bill” include? He didn’t say. When might it be available? He didn’t say that, either. But Trump nevertheless asserted in an online statement that the White House, GOP leaders “and other Republicans” were working on the bill, and “it’s what our Country need [sic], and NOW!”
The president concluded, “More to follow.”
That final phrase appeared designed to assure the public that he’d soon release additional details about the legislative effort, but it wasn’t just the public in need of information. Politico reported a day later that GOP lawmakers, who found themselves “in the dark,” couldn’t help but “scratch their heads” in response to Trump’s declaration. From the article:
… Trump’s latest comments have puzzled Republicans, including members of leadership and key congressional committees, who don’t know what ‘comprehensive’ measure the president is talking about, according to seven Republicans granted anonymity to speak candidly.
If you’re thinking that Trump just made this up — as is his wont — you’re not alone.
Politico’s report added that the president did speak this week with the House speaker about “extending his current temporary control over the D.C. police,” which is a move the Louisiana congressman supports.
But an extension of a local deadline is a far cry from a “comprehensive crime bill,” and for that matter, the president said at a White House event late last week, “I don’t know if there is a deadline because if I declare a national emergency — which this was — that ends the deadline.”
Those waiting for non-existent legislation to address a non-existent crime crisis probably shouldn’t expect anything substantive anytime soon.
