A bipartisan border security bill earlier this year died " target="_blank">fell apart%20<a%20href=%22https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1804265187593326734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>June%2021,%202024%20<pre%20class=) after former President Donald Trump demanded the GOP not fix an issue they could try to attack President Joe Biden over during an election cycle\. But House Republicans loyal to Trump are continuing to deny that was the reason — one of the loudest denials coming from Rep\. Byron Donalds \(R\-FL\)\.
In fact, Donalds said on Newsmax in a discussion on the upcoming presidential debate next week, the House GOP was already opposed to the bill — because the text got leaked to them beforehand on social media.
"[Biden's] gonna say that, oh, the Senate bill was good, but Donald Trump blocked it. That's a lie," said Donalds. "When the elements of the Senate bill were being leaked on X, House Republicans from Speaker Johnson all down, we rejected the bill based upon what we were being — what was being reported on social media." And when the press pushed back that they didn't have the bill yet, said Donalds, the GOP said, “If the full bill sounds anything like what’s in these tweets, I'm telling you right now it's dead on arrival in the House.”
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Commenters on social media were deeply skeptical of Donalds' account of how this went down.
"Even if that were true, it’s not a good look," wrote @NotoriousRBF.
"This stiff rep Donald’s knows Trump told him personally, we can’t pass border security because it gives President Biden a win," wrote @RealJoeBonanno.
"Another false MAGA claim. They rejected the Bill because Daddy Donald told them not to vote on it," wrote country singer Nick Berry.
"Ha ha ha! ‘We rejected the bill on our own before our Dear Leader told us to reject it. You can’t prove otherwise’ Your argument is you’re so wired to party over country that you knew your marching orders before he told you? Interesting flex, but okay," wrote @judesamn.