When I look at the ongoing debate over the filibuster, it is clear to me that President Donald Trump is not letting go of his push to eliminate it. That determination is putting Senate Republicans in an awkward position, especially in an election year when every internal disagreement becomes magnified.
From my perspective, Trump sees the filibuster as an obstacle that constantly slows down his agenda. Any time Congress hits another standoff over government funding or major legislation, he returns to the same conclusion: the filibuster must go. But inside the Senate GOP, there is nothing close to a consensus on this.
Senator Todd Young summed up the situation in a way I agree with. He said too many people are telling Trump that ending the filibuster is possible, when in reality the votes simply are not there. I get the sense that Trump believes persistence will eventually win people over, but the math has not changed.
Last month provided a clear example. Senate Republicans, led by Majority Leader John Thune, immediately rejected Trump’s call to scrap the filibuster to resolve the lengthy government shutdown. Even though Trump keeps pushing, he is running into a wall of resistance from a party that has historically defended the rule.
What complicates things is that Trump still holds enormous influence over much of the Senate GOP. Rank-and-file members do not want to anger him or invite pressure from their own voters. At the same time, many of them genuinely believe the filibuster protects the Senate from rushing into bad decisions.
Right now, fewer than a quarter of Senate Republicans say they are open to getting rid of it. But I have noticed that Trump’s persistence is slowly shifting a handful of members. Some, like Senator Ron Johnson, even reversed their earlier positions. Senator John Cornyn has also signaled openness to changes as he prepares for a tough primary.
Congress faces major deadlines in the coming months. Lawmakers must pass government funding by January 30 to avoid another shutdown, address rising health care costs, complete the farm bill, renew surveillance authorities, and possibly take up permitting reforms. Every one of these issues intersects with Trump’s frustration over legislative gridlock.
When pressed on whether Trump will continue this push into next year, White House officials pointed to a recent Truth Social post where he argued that Democrats will pack the Supreme Court unless the filibuster is eliminated. He framed ending the rule as a pathway to winning both the midterms and the presidency again in 2028.
For Thune, this entire situation is becoming a defining moment. He is stuck between a president demanding action and a caucus that simply has no appetite for changing the rules. People close to the White House admit that every Republican was firmly against eliminating the filibuster until very recently, but Trump’s pressure campaign is forcing a new internal split.
Despite all of this, Trump still maintains a good working relationship with Senate leadership. He publicly acknowledged that the senators who rejected his proposal are smart and worth listening to. He continues to speak positively about Thune, and there is no sign that this disagreement will damage their overall cooperation.
I remember Trump pushing Mitch McConnell to end the filibuster during his first term as well. McConnell refused then, and the reasoning has not changed.
Some Senate Republicans who normally align with Trump are still unwilling to give his filibuster demand serious consideration. Senator John Kennedy was blunt, saying that regardless of anyone’s opinion, the issue is effectively dead because the votes simply do not exist.
Trump has always been willing to bend or challenge Senate norms to speed up his agenda. So far, Thune and most GOP senators have stood firm. Earlier this year, some of Trump’s allies even called for firing the Senate parliamentarian when she blocked certain provisions in a major bill. Thune refused, and he may soon face a similar dispute if the White House tries to use reconciliation for a health care package.
Trump and his supporters argue that Republicans must act now because Democrats will eliminate the filibuster the moment they regain full control. Senator Tommy Tuberville said he would consider keeping the rule only if Democrats promised not to remove it themselves, which he believes they will eventually do.
Senator Josh Hawley also backs eliminating the filibuster, describing it as a necessary change to deliver results before the pivotal 2026 midterms. He says Trump is pushing Congress to act because voters expect more.
Watching all of this unfold, I can see that this fight is far from over. Trump is not backing down, Senate Republicans are not unified, and the stakes will only get higher as the election approaches.