Former RNC Chairman Criticizes Republican Party for Listening to Trump: ‘Blind, Led by Fools’

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele called former President Donald Trump’s comments to House Republicans about securing the inclusion of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act in a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown “the blind being led by the stupid.”

On Sunday, Steele, MSNBC’s co-host Weekendread Trump’s tweet aloud from Wednesday Truth Social: “If Republicans won’t pass the SAVE Act and every ounce of it, they should not be agreeing to a continuing resolution in any way, shape, or form. Democrats are registering illegal voters in the TENS OF THOUSANDS as we speak.” Steele paused and interjected, “a lie,” before continuing to read the rest of the tweet. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2024 election, just as there was none in 2020, despite Trump’s repeated claims.

In response to Trump’s post on Truth Social, Steele, who served as RNC chairman from 2009 to 2011 and is a critic of the former president, said, “We don’t have an operating budget for this country right now because of the nonsense of someone who doesn’t take our country’s interests seriously,” adding that House Republicans are “blind people led by fools,” referring to Trump.

Newsweek on Sunday he reached out to the Trump campaign for comment via email.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, is backing a stopgap bill that would extend current levels of government funding for another six months, through March 25, and includes the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and requires states to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls.

On Wednesday, more than a dozen Republicans and all but three Democrats voted against the continuing resolution (CR), with a combined vote of 202 to 220. Lawmakers now have until Sept. 30 to pass a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. The package also included the SAVE Act.

The House speaker told reporters after the vote that he was “disappointed” the measure failed to pass, but that he would look for a way to fix the problem. “We’ll draw another play and find a solution,” the speaker said, according to a copy of his remarks to reporters that was released Newsweek“I’m already talking to my colleagues about their many ideas. We have time to fix the situation and we’ll get to it right away.”

Newsweek on Sunday reached out to Johnson’s communications director for comment via email.

Earlier this week, several conservatives criticized Johnson for pushing CR, including Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who told a House floor hearing Wednesday that the bill was “disingenuous and frivolous.”

“Your bill does NOT fund government responsibly,” the congressman wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in response to Johnson’s post. “It’s 12 bills rolled into one bill that continues the wasteful spending that is ruining our country. Just because you added a 13th bill to it doesn’t make it a serious solution. Please stop insulting our voters.”

Johnson said passing the SAVE Act was essential to securing the upcoming election, citing concerns that “millions and millions of illegal immigrants…have crossed the border” and may attempt to vote illegally.

But critics, including many Democrats, note that noncitizens are already disenfranchised in federal elections, undermining the law’s necessity. Voting for federal offices in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., is restricted to citizens only. Trump, the Republican nominee, has continued to make claims of widespread voter and election fraud.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has made clear his opposition to a government shutdown strategy, telling reporters Tuesday: “One thing you can’t have is a government shutdown. It would be politically intolerable for us to do that right before the election because we would certainly get blamed.”