President-elect Donald Trump tore into Texas Rep. Chip Roy on Thursday, accusing the fellow Republican of "getting in the way" of budget negotiations for the purpose of "cheap publicity" while calling for a primary against him in two years.
And that was before Roy took to the House floor to strongly rebuke his own conference over the new stopgap funding bill touted by Trump.
At issue is that Roy, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, came out Thursday against raising or suspending the debt ceiling, a high priority of Trump's. The new stopgap funding bill announced by GOP leadership on Thursday suspends the debt ceiling for two years.
"My position is simple — I am not going to raise or suspend the debt ceiling (racking up more debt) without significant & real spending cuts attached to it. I've been negotiating to that end. No apologies," he wrote in a post to X, tagging Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Trump took aim and fired — repeatedly.
"The very unpopular 'Congressman' from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory — All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself. Republican obstructionists have to be done away with," Trump wrote.
He added, "Weak and ineffective people like Chip have to be dismissed as being utterly unknowledgeable as to the ways of politics, and as to Making America Great Again."
In a separate post, Trump said, "Chip Roy is just another ambitious guy, with no talent. … I hope some talented challengers are getting ready in the Great State of Texas to go after Chip in the Primary. He won't have a chance!"
All of that happened before the announcement of a new funding package, which Roy then took to the House floor to assail after a Democrat, Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, yielded her time.
"It's embarrassing, it's shameful," Roy yelled at fellow House Republicans for a bill that spends without cuts. "You never have any ounce of self respect!" He added that Republicans congratulating themselves for adding $5 trillion to the debt is "asinine."
As for whether he would speak with Trump about his posts, Roy earlier in the day said "we'll see," Punchbowl News reported.
"Politics doesn't drive me. What drives me is saving the country and more debt is not going to save the country," he told the outlet.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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