Saying you want to run the largest deportation in American history is one thing. But as NOTUS’ Casey Murray reports, actually doing it could be a political minefield for Donald Trump and Republicans.
The goal is to run a program as popular among hard-liners as Trump 1.0’s family separation plan but without the ugly reality of that plan, which turned a lot of Americans off and eventually scuttled it. Border politicians on both sides of the aisle tell Casey that Trump has more public latitude this time, with voters moving firmly toward support for a robust and active deportation program.
But it’s unclear how far that support will go if the deportations affect things like the economy. And it’s unclear whether the GOP base will accept a deportation plan that’s quiet enough not to be felt in people’s lives.
“Go back to the wall. That’s what’s instructive about all this, is the base never revolted for not building the wall in its entirety or for having Mexico pay for it, which obviously they never did,” California consultant Rob Stutzman told Casey. “As long as he doesn’t do anything to disrupt people’s cost of living and employment, I think he’s got a lot of latitude to fudge the lines on his rhetoric versus policy.”
Kay Granger’s Disappearance Couldn’t Happen Now
Recent reporting on former Republican Rep. Kay Granger’s absence from votes brought up an underlying weird truth: Members can effectively disappear, and the public might be none the wiser if House business is as usual.
Granger missed months of votes after stepping down as Appropriations chair, and was later found to be living in an assisted-living facility. Her son told The Dallas Morning News she had been experiencing “some dementia issues.”
Though House Republicans were able to hobble along without her — one member told NOTUS the whip team “knew where she was at all times” — their extra-slim majority this Congress means they’ll need every single vote they can get to pass Trump’s agenda. Last Congress, Republicans faced some embarrassing setbacks, but votes like Granger’s mattered less with split party control in Washington.
This year, that’s obviously changed, and every single absence might spell doom.
“Each and every day, you’re sort of at the mercy if somebody sadly is hurt or sick or has a family crisis,” Rep. Tom Cole told NOTUS’ Emily Kennard and Nuha Dolby. “Hopefully members will take their job pretty seriously and be here, because we won’t get much done if they’re not.”
“The two busiest people this Congress are gonna be [Whip] Tom Emmer and the House physician,” Rep. Mark Alford said.
—Nuha Dolby. Read the story with Emily Kennard.
Front Page
- Republicans Aren’t Actually Sure Mass Deportations Are a Political Winner: Trump’s promises on immigration are about to put Republicans into a political minefield.
- Trump Keeps Pushing the Bounds of Presidential Immunity: In his attempt to delay his sentencing, legal scholars say Trump’s lawyers go further than the Supreme Court on a president’s powers.
- Jan. 6 Is Just Another Day Now — Except for the Lawmakers Who Refuse to Forget: “I don’t think people have moved on,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal said.
The Echoes of Jan. 6
As Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the certification of Trump’s election victory on Jan. 6, 2025, some lawmakers questioned how her campaign handled Jan. 6, 2021.
Though Harris leaned on former Rep. Liz Cheney’s endorsement in the final stretch of her campaign, former Jan. 6 Committee member Rep. Bennie Thompson told NOTUS Harris should have more heavily centered the Capitol riot in her argument against Trump.
“Now, whatever consultant said, ‘That’s not an issue,’ in my humble opinion, they made a mistake,” he said.
But for all the Monday morning quarterbacking, NOTUS has previously reported that even Harris surrogates like former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn weren’t sure that rehashing Jan. 6 moved voters.
Republicans spent the day taking a victory lap, satisfied Jan. 6, 2021, didn’t matter in 2024, after all.
“Look, it’s history, I mean, but a sad four hours of our history,” Rep. Dan Meuser said. “But it was a bad day. I’m not making any excuses for it. The Democrats did everything they could to fan that flame forever and ever and ever. Meanwhile, it lasted four hours.”
Trump’s Questionable Ploy to Delay Sentencing
Last week, a New York judge decided to proceed with sentencing for Trump’s 34 felonies in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. NOTUS’ Jose Pagliery reports that Trump’s lawyers fought that decision by claiming that presidents and presidents-elect have immunity.
“As the U.S. Supreme Court emphasized, the doctrine of Presidential immunity nullifies the power of trial courts to act,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. (Judge Juan Merchan denied Trump’s attempt to put off the sentencing date on Monday.)
Legal scholars told Jose that argument bends the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling to its breaking point. The arguments, University of North Carolina law professor Michael J. Gerhardt said, are “dead wrong.”
Quotable: The Lawmaker Keeping the Drone Mystery Alive
The White House determined weeks ago that perplexing objects flying over New Jersey were a combination of lawful commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones as well as manned aircraft and helicopters.
New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith told NOTUS’ Emily Kennard he’s not convinced.
“It almost doesn’t pass the straight-face test,” he said of the White House’s explanation.
Number You Should Know
0
Not one lawmaker objected to yesterday’s certification of Trump’s election win. Even Democrats who objected to Trump’s win in 2017, including Reps. Jamie Raskin and Pramila Jayapal, told reporters they felt it was their responsibility to certify the results this time around.
Not Us
We know NOTUS reporters can’t cover it all. Here’s some other great hits by… not us.
- The Militia and the Mole by Joshua Kaplan at ProPublica
- How Much Do Democrats Need to Change? by Peter Slevin at The New Yorker
- The US Spent Billions Fighting Pacific Climate Change. Where Did It Go? By Chad Blair at the Honolulu Civil Beat
- Josh Shapiro called Donald Trump an existential threat. Now, he says he’s ready to work with him. By Gillian McGoldrick at The Philadelphia Inquirer
Be Social
Like we said, yesterday was a very different J6.
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