{"id":7961,"date":"2026-07-31T16:09:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T16:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961"},"modified":"2026-07-31T16:09:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T16:09:04","slug":"trumps-unforced-errors-on-todd-blanche-and-the-save-america-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>\n            It often seems like President Donald Trump simply doesn\u2019t care about making his party look good ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.\n    <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7959\">Sweeping cyberattack on water systems in multiple states has US officials on edge<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            And two recent pushes drive that home: His insistence that the Senate pass the \u201cSAVE America Act\u201d (despite it apparently having no path), and his decision to dig in on Todd Blanche\u2019s nomination for attorney general while defending the controversial \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund that has imperiled his confirmation.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Both efforts have increasingly riven the Senate at an inopportune time for the GOP. And Trump\u2019s intransigence threatens the broader harmony in the conservative movement, with the GOP already deeply wounded by his historic unpopularity.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            And for what? Neither Trump priority seems to carry much potential upside for him.\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n        The Blanche nomination<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n            The Blanche nomination has been puzzling from the start. Having already been confirmed as deputy attorney general, he could have stayed on as acting attorney general after former Attorney General Pam Bondi\u2019s departure. And some figured that\u2019s what would happen.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            But then Trump nominated Blanche for the full job title, forcing the Senate to reckon with the many controversial things Blanche has been involved in \u2014 from the politicized prosecutions of Trump\u2019s foes, to his defenses of Trump\u2019s mass pardon of violent January 6, 2021, defendants, to the bungled handling of the Epstein files.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            But what\u2019s loomed largest in recent weeks has been the highly controversial settlement between Trump\u2019s lawyers and the government he runs. The settlement created a $1.776 billion \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund that could compensate those January 6 defendants and it gave Trump and those around him immunity from past tax issues.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Even large numbers of Senate Republicans publicly balked. A judge later said the whole thing was a transparent and bad-faith effort to \u201cmanipulate the judicial process.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            That set up a standoff between those senators and the administration. Blanche had said the \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund was \u201cdead.\u201d But two crucial votes in the Senate Judiciary Committee \u2014 Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas \u2014 have insisted that the administration put that in writing and place limits on Trump\u2019s tax immunity deal.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            To hear Blanche tell it at his confirmation hearing, that seemed like no problem.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            But Trump, who suggested Thursday he could delay Blanche\u2019s nomination until Cornyn and Tillis are gone from the Senate early next year, has increasingly dug in.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cI will always feel that these victims of government abuse should be paid back for what they were forced to endure, their lives have been ruined!\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday morning, referring to the fund as if it\u2019s still in play and demanding Blanche be confirmed.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Both Tillis and Cornyn have more latitude because they\u2019re leaving the Senate soon. Cornyn, who lost his primary runoff after Trump backed his opponent, has made it clear he\u2019s happy to wield his newfound independence. The Texas Republican has called Blanche \u201cabout as good as we\u2019re going to get\u201d as an attorney general pick but drawn a hard line over his demand for written assurances that the fund will not be revived and for the tax immunity addendum to be limited.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Even if Trump did withdraw Blanche and try again early next year, it\u2019s likely that Senate will be less favorable to the GOP, if not a Democratic majority.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            And Trump\u2019s focus on the Texas Republican alone appears misplaced.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Cornyn posted on X on Thursday, \u201cPOTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7957\">Few signs of talks between US and Iran as Trump hears from different corners on path forward<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            Indeed, the standoff appears to have emboldened some of their colleagues to step forward and make clear they share Cornyn\u2019s and Tillis\u2019 concerns. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who also lost to a Trump-backed primary challenger earlier this year, has lodged broader complaints about Trump using the DOJ to target his foes.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The whole thing is a mess. Trump has cast a spotlight not only on the many controversial things his DOJ has done, but also his self-dealing. (The New York Times has reported the tax immunity deal could spare Trump a $100 million penalty, after all.)\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            And all so that Blanche didn\u2019t have to call himself \u201cacting.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n        The \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n            At least with the \u2018SAVE America Act,\u2019 Trump has more to gain if his gambit were ultimately successful.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The bill would overhaul US elections in ways many conservatives want, including by forcing people registering to vote to provide proof of US citizenship.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The problem here, though, is that the legislation doesn\u2019t seem to have any chance of passage. That would require either Democratic votes to clear the 60-vote threshold, or for 50 Republicans to go nuclear and eliminate the filibuster.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Neither possibility appears to be in play. Even some GOP senators have balked at the legislation, and it appears many more don\u2019t think it\u2019s worth getting rid of the 60-vote threshold, which they worry Democrats would exploit if they return to power.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The bill has torn Senate Republicans apart. The split is basically between the realists like Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who recognize there\u2019s no real way to pass it, and a handful of idealists like Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who cast it as so important that it\u2019s worth trying everything \u2014 even nixing the filibuster. Right now, the idealists are insisting that the Senate stay in session during the August recess.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            It\u2019s also led to a clash between Trump and Thune. The White House has increasingly questioned whether he\u2019s the man to lead the Senate, and Thune has offered a few sharp comments in response (i.e. saying the White House is using \u201ca different form of math\u201d and that Trump \u201cdoesn\u2019t vote in our elections\u201d).\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The main problem here is how much the whole thing has been built up for months.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Trump and his allies like Lee have cast this bill as not just important but even existential for the GOP. So while it doesn\u2019t appear overly popular with the broader electorate, multitudes of true believers in the activist base are whipped up in a frenzy.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            And if the bill doesn\u2019t go anywhere, that\u2019s a recipe for a base that\u2019s already pretty dejected ahead of the 2026 election becoming even more so. And that\u2019s to say nothing of how much heartache the Senate will go through to get to that point.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Tillis on Wednesday likened the situation to Trump questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election results, even as Republicans still needed base voters to show up for a pair of crucial Georgia Senate runoffs in January 2021 that determined the majority.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThe president needs to realize when he\u2019s going out there and saying that our elections are in a shambles, then you\u2019re going to have a segment, an unhealthy number saying, \u2018Well, why do I even vote?\u2019\u201d the North Carolina Republican told reporters.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Tillis added: \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m so angry about this, trying to tell people this is not helping our brand, and it could have the effect of having people stay at home in certain states where we need every single Republican, MAGA or otherwise, to show up.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Even Trump has effectively acknowledged his voter fraud crusade ahead of the Georgia runoffs might have cost his party the Senate.\n    <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7955\">Why reaction-time training should be part of your exercise routine as you get older<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            But he either didn\u2019t learn his lesson, or he doesn\u2019t care.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It often seems like President Donald Trump simply doesn\u2019t care about making his party look good ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019 - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019 - Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It often seems like President Donald Trump simply doesn\u2019t care about making his party look good ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-31T16:09:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\"},\"headline\":\"Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-31T16:09:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961\"},\"wordCount\":1297,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/11e60d6d9f6f0607516e44cc3560f653.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961\",\"name\":\"Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019 - Relocation Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/11e60d6d9f6f0607516e44cc3560f653.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-31T16:09:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/11e60d6d9f6f0607516e44cc3560f653.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/11e60d6d9f6f0607516e44cc3560f653.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7961#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relocation Times\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019 - Relocation Times","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019 - Relocation Times","og_description":"It often seems like President Donald Trump simply doesn\u2019t care about making his party look good ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.","og_url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961","og_site_name":"Relocation Times","article_published_time":"2026-07-31T16:09:04+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be"},"headline":"Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019","datePublished":"2026-07-31T16:09:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961"},"wordCount":1297,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/11e60d6d9f6f0607516e44cc3560f653.jpg","articleSection":["Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961","name":"Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019 - Relocation Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/11e60d6d9f6f0607516e44cc3560f653.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-31T16:09:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/11e60d6d9f6f0607516e44cc3560f653.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/11e60d6d9f6f0607516e44cc3560f653.jpg","width":800,"height":450},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7961#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Trump\u2019s unforced errors on Todd Blanche and the \u2018SAVE America Act\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/","name":"Relocation Times","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/relocationtimess.com"],"url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}