A Fight About Nothing

Well, almost nothing.

By Nick Catoggio

Jan 23, 2023

Former U.S. President Donald Trump. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.)

The history of Republican cynicism about the debt ceiling can be summarized in two social media posts. The first was published two weeks ago by citizen Trump.

The second, shared in a recent piece by Jonathan Chait, was published four years ago and features a soundbite from then-President Trump.

President Trump on the debt ceiling: "I said, I remember, to Sen. Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, 'Would anyone ever use that to negotiate with?' They said 'absolutely not.' That's a sacred element of our country. They can't use the debt ceiling to negotiate." pic.twitter.com/WvI6j4nqMQ
— The Hill (@thehill) July 19, 2019

From “sacred element” in 2019 to “play tough” now. The man’s ethics (such as they are) have always been situational, but even for Trump, that’s pretty Trump.

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