Mattingly on Trump Open to Taxing the Rich: It’s a Very Difficult Moment for Republicans

EXCERPT:

MATTINGLY: “It is a very difficult moment for Republican leadership right now. Not just because of this issue, but because reconciliation bills are really hard. Finding pay-fors for reconciliation bills is really hard, particularly when the president’s priorities which are red lines for this White House and tax on tips is being kind of the critical. When we think about the campaign, there’s several of them, are quite expensive. This is reality-based in the sense of they need revenue. This would be something that would raise revenue. This is politically, I think, something that tracks because there is a kind of populist right-wing element not just in the White House, but also pushing on the White House to pursue policies like this. The difficulty is I don’t see how you could find Republicans in the House or Senate that would go this direction. What makes it far more difficult is the fact that when the president posted about it this morning, he was like, well, I mean, I don’t hate it. I don’t love it. Maybe we’ll do it. I don’t really know, which is the last thing that Senator John Thune or Speaker Mike Johnson need in this moment, like, they need him to say yes or no.”