GOP senators disavow Trump on debt ceiling, signaling growing rift

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2 years ago

May 12, 2023

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Senate Republicans are disavowing former President Trump’s call to let the federal government default on its debts unless President Biden agrees to “massive” spending cuts, dismissing Trump’s suggestion as something far too risky to seriously consider.

The cold reception to Trump’s bold statement is the latest sign of the widening rift between Trump and his party’s Washington establishment.

While Trump maintains strong influence in the House, where he helped Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) nail down enough votes to be elected Speaker, it’s a different story in the Senate.

GOP senators largely ignored Trump’s participation in a CNN’s town hall Wednesday and later dismissed the former president’s claim that failing to raise the debt ceiling by next month’s deadline might not be a big deal.

“I don’t think anybody suggesting that ‘we have to do a default’ is wise policy, wise strategy for this country,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), adding that Trump “certainly doesn’t impact” her view.

She argued it would be far more productive to encourage Biden and McCarthy to work together to reach a compromise rather than pushing a default as a viable option.

“Right now, the talks are going on with the top four and of course the White House, and now the staffs. What we want to do is encourage that every step of the way,” she said.

Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) said “most people recognize we need to strike a deal here” and predicted that Trump’s impacts won’t get much traction among GOP lawmakers.

“I don’t think we want to go there with the potential consequences,” he said of a potential default.

Asked about Trump’s comments, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), an adviser to the Senate GOP leadership team, said: “Nobody thinks default is a good idea. Nobody.”

McCarthy on Thursday distanced himself from Trump’s comments.

“The only thing I see right now is that the Republicans made sure default is not on the table. We’ve raised the debt limit,” he said, referring to the bill House Republicans passed last month to raise the debt ceiling to $1.5 trillion and cut spending by $4.8 trillion.

“The only person talking about default right now is President Biden. His actions, he’s ignored this problem, just like he’s ignored the border, that means more Americans are gonna die from fentanyl. You had 11,000 people just yesterday come across,” he said.

Those are much different tones than the one Trump struck at the CNN town hall, where he declared: “I say to the Republicans out there — congressmen, senators — if they don’t give you massive cuts, you’re gonna have to default.”

He went on to say that a federal default might not have as big an impact on the U.S. economy as experts predict.

Trump said the consequences of failing to extend the debt limit by the deadline “could be maybe nothing” or result in only “a bad week or a bad day.”

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), when asked about Trump’s comments, said: “Yeah, well, we can’t do a default but we should find a way to reach a compromise. That’s what you expect a president to do.”

Romney said Trump is rooting for a default because it’s in his political interests.

“If there were a default, the one person who might be tempted to celebrate politically would be Donald Trump, because he’d say, ‘If I were president, this would have never happened,’” he said.

Romney said Trump’s CNN town hall appearance showed a person “untethered to the truth and untethered to the constitutional order.”

He also criticized Trump for saying he would pardon the people who invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and for not expressing support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

“A crime is a crime. I believe in juries, and people who’ve been convicted of a crime ought to pay the penalty that the jury or the court imposed and [that] they agreed to, in some cases,” Romney said.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said he wasn’t that surprised that Trump advised Republicans to let the nation default.

“It doesn’t surprise me he’d say that,” Cassidy said. “The president is a candidate trying to run on a very populist base, and I think he feels like that will position him in place he gets more votes, and I think he’ll say whatever he needs to, to get more votes.”

Cassidy said he wasn’t sure how it would influence Trump’s allies in the House.

“I don’t have their temperature,” he said.

A Republican senator who requested anonymity to comment candidly on Trump said senators would ignore the advice.

“I don’t know about the House, but I don’t think there are a lot of senators who wait for his instructions,” the lawmaker said.

But the senator expressed uncertainty whether Trump might push House conservatives to take a harder line in the talks.

“I don’t know,” the senator said. “We need to be working together.”

House Republicans mostly dodged Trump’s call to let the nation default if Democrats refuse to agree to massive cuts, but they were less critical of Trump’s comments than some of their Senate Republican colleagues.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, said a default is what House Republicans are trying to avoid.

“Obviously, if there’s not a deal, then there’s default. That’s what we’re all trying to prevent,” he said.

He downplayed Trump’s influence by noting, “obviously, he’s not part of this negotiation.” Parents claim daughter is disfigured from hot chicken nugget Man arrested after Texas child gives bus driver note asking to call 911

Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) said he views Trump’s willingness to let the nation default as campaign rhetoric.

“I forget who said it, but you know, you campaign in poetry and you govern in prose. … Candidates talk about things differently than people who are trying to get to a deal,” he said, referring to the political maxim made famous by late New York Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Mychael Schnell and Emily Brooks contributed.

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Follow live: Blue Jays host Yankees in Game 2 of ALDS

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37 mins ago

October 5, 2025

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Brewers CF Chourio’s status uncertain for Game 2

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37 mins ago

October 5, 2025

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Brewers CF Chourio's status uncertain for Game 2

Jesse RogersOct 5, 2025, 04:41 PM ET
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MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers centerfielder Jackson Chourio‘s status for Game 2 of the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs on Monday is uncertain after an MRI on his right hamstring came back inconclusive, according to manager Pat Murphy.

Chourio, 21, left Game 1 on Saturday after legging out an infield hit in the bottom of the second inning. It’s the same hamstring he injured in July — also while playing against the Cubs — putting his immediate playing future in doubt.

“I can’t give you a definitive, but I know that we’re going to test some things today,” Murphy said on Sunday afternoon. “He’s going to be out there today. I don’t know that he’ll do much, but the MRI came back and it’s inconclusive and it’s not a serious hamstring strain, but it’s not necessarily something that won’t limit him.”

Chourio was 3 for 3 in the game before leaving. Murphy indicated rookie Isaac Collins would likely take Chourio’s place in the lineup if the latter player can’t go.

The Brewers manager also announced lefty Aaron Ashby will start Game 2 for his team, though he probably won’t last long after throwing 1⅓ innings on Saturday. He’s likely opening the game to help neutralize Cubs leadoff man Michael Busch — also a lefty — who homered to start Game 1.

“He could go as long as we want him to,” Murphy said of Ashby.

Righty Quinn Priester is likely the bulk innings guy for the Brewers after Ashby, but Murphy stopped short of declaring his plans. The Cubs are countering with lefty Shota Imanaga, who pitched in Game 2 of the wild-card round against the San Diego Padres.

“He’s a competitor,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “And I think he’s a thinking-man’s competitor, and he also pitches with a lot of joy on the mound, while competing at a really high level.”

Imanaga has a 5.73 ERA in four career games against the Brewers, including three starts this season.

“I think all the hitters, they understand what they need to do, and I think that’s the Brewers’ offense,” Imanaga said of his struggles against Milwaukee. “Even yesterday, just the next guy was up, the next guy was ready. So I think, for me, it’s just making sure, take it one out at a time, and then thinking about that one out.”

Murphy was asked about facing the second-year Cub who features a rising fastball and a sinking splitter.

“His heater plays way up,” Murphy said. “If it says 91, the hitter sees it as 95 to 96.”

Milwaukee won Game 1 in a route, 9-3.

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AP Week 6 poll reaction: What’s next for each Top 25 team

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2 hours ago

October 5, 2025

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AP Week 6 poll reaction: What's next for each Top 25 team

Oct 5, 2025, 02:25 PM ET

The latest AP poll is out. Most ranked teams held steady. The Ohio State Buckeyes stayed atop the poll after a convincing win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and the Miami Hurricanes bolstered their résumé with a win over the Florida State Seminoles. But both the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions and then No. 9 Texas Longhorns were stunned by unranked opponents. (UCLA and Florida, respectively.)

What does it all mean for the AP Top 25? Let’s break down the rankings.

Stats courtesy of ESPN Research.

All times Eastern.

Previous ranking: 1

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated Minnesota 42-3

Stat to know: Ohio State has allowed 25 total points this season. That is the fewest points allowed through five games by a Big Ten team since 1985 Michigan.

What’s next: Saturday at Illinois, noon, Fox

Previous ranking: 3

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated Florida State 28-22

Stat to know: Miami has three straight wins against AP-ranked opponents within a season for the first time since 2004.

What’s next: Oct. 17 vs. Louisville, 7 p.m.

Previous ranking: 2

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Indiana, 3:30 p.m., CBS

Previous ranking: 4

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Washington State, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network

Previous ranking: 6

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated Mississippi State 31-9

Stat to know: This is Texas A&M’s first 5-0 start since 2016.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Florida, 7 p.m., ESPN

Previous ranking: 5

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated Kent State 44-0

Stat to know: This was Oklahoma’s first shutout since its 2023 win over Arkansas State.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Texas (in Dallas), 3:30 p.m., ABC

Previous ranking: 8

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday at Oregon, 3:30 p.m., CBS

Previous ranking: 10

2025 record: 4-1

Week 6 result: Defeated Vanderbilt 30-14

Stat to know: Kalen DeBoer is now 13-2 in matchups between two ranked teams.

What’s next: Saturday at Missouri, noon, ABC

Previous ranking: 11

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated Houston 35-11

Stat to know: Texas Tech has now won five straight games by 20-plus points for first time since 1953-54.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Kansas, 7:30 p.m., Fox

Previous ranking: 12

2025 record: 4-1

Week 6 result: Defeated Kentucky 35-14

Stat to know: Georgia has a 16-game win streak against Kentucky.

What’s next: Saturday at Auburn, 7:30 p.m., ABC

Previous ranking: 13

2025 record: 4-1

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. South Carolina, 7:45 p.m., SEC Network

Previous ranking: 15

2025 record: 4-1

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Arkansas, 4:15 p.m., SEC Network

Previous ranking: 17

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m., ACC Network

Previous ranking: 19

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Alabama, noon, ABC

Previous ranking: 20

2025 record: 4-1

Week 6 result: Defeated Wisconsin 24-10

Stat to know: Michigan has now won consecutive games against Wisconsin for the first time since 2002.

What’s next: Saturday at USC, 7:30 p.m., NBC

Previous ranking: 21

2025 record: 3-2

Week 6 result: Defeated Boise State 28-7

Stat to know: Against Boise State, Notre Dame had four interceptions in a game for the first time since 2023.

What’s next: Saturday vs. NC State, 3:30 p.m., Peacock

Previous ranking: 22

2025 record: 5-1

Week 6 result: Defeated Purdue 42-27

Stat to know: Illinois has now won consecutive games against Purdue for the first time since 2001-02.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Ohio State, noon, Fox

Previous ranking: 23

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated West Virginia 38-24

Stat to know: BYU has started 5-0 for the sixth time in program history.

What’s next: Saturday at Arizona, 8 p.m., ESPN2

Previous ranking: 24

2025 record: 5-1

Week 6 result: Defeated Louisville 30-27 (OT)

Stat to know: The win over Louisville is Virginia’s second straight overtime win. Virginia had never won multiple overtime games in a season prior to 2025.

What’s next: Oct. 18 vs. Washington State, 6:30 p.m., The CW